What Is and What Should Never Be
by ElleThom
Summary: Walter has a very special watch


The lab was the only place he truly felt at home. The home he had built here, with his son in Cambridge was merely a stop, a place to rest between times in his lab. Walter would often muse to himself that he had the world's largest hallway.

"Walter," the voice called to him from upstairs, "I don't see why you have so much crap. How the hell are we supposed to fit all of this stuff into the new house?"

Walter smiled as he listened to his son's rant. It was not long ago that these words would have been uttered in anger rather than jaunty admonishment. "Son," he began with the expected finger wave."When you have lived as long as I you realize that there is never enough space for anything," Walter punctuated his point with a grab for the newly filled box from his room. "Books!" he exclaimed with his usual sudden mania.

Peter, in the role of the long suffering son merely shook his head before continuing. "Walter, I realize this is a big deal for you-"

Walter's ear to ear Cheshire cat grin only served to emphasize the obviousness of this point. "I should say so! You marrying the lovely and fair Olivia Dunham makes my heart feel twenty years younger"

Ignoring the outburst, Peter pushed further. "-but we have to make some sacrifices Walter. The house is something that all three of have to share the space."

Nodding, the older man continued his frenzied clutch of his possessions. "Marriage son," he began from over his shoulder as he continued to pack his room. "Marriage is a wonderful thing. I remember when your mother and I married. It was wonderful. That first night.."

"Stop right there Walter." Peter demanded with a sudden look of disgust.

"She was magnificent, and I was so-"

"Walter.."

"Oh and the things we discovered about each other that night! Your mother could do the most amazing things with her-"

"WALTER!" Peter demanded.

Walter fell silent, stopped packing in mid rant. "Peter?" he asked turning to his son, "do we need to have the talk? You know I still have the puzzle somewhere in here." Walter dropped the box he was holding and began as if in search of the Bunny of the month puzzle.

As if to further the proof of her angelic status for him, the young man was saved by the sudden appearance of his fiancé. She appeared in her navy blue wool cape replete with anchor buttons. "Well, you two have been busy/" she mused unwrapping the thick scarf from around her neck.

"Oh, Olivia, I was just explaining to Peter that the wedding night is the most-"

"You know what Walter?" Peter asked pulling the blonde into his arms as he spoke to his father, "You are absolutely right." He grinned at her puzzled smile.

Olivia returned Peter's embrace. "So, " she smiled extracted herself unwillingly from Peter. "I figure I could work in the kitchen and let you to get sorted out in here?"

"Oh you know how I love a woman in the kitchen." Peter mused

Olivia offered him her best 'I carry a gun' look before disappearing into the Bishops; shoebox kitchen.

Peter continued to place items into boxes while Walter extolled some unknown virtue of the acquired junk his father seemed completely unwilling to let go of. He made his way around the spotless clutter of his father's room trying to unravel some of the mysteries of Walter.

It was the pocket watch, Peter had never seen it before, even though it sem=emed to hold a place of prominence among his father's things. He let the item play across his fingers, a strange tingling seemed to emit from the watch. Peter squahed a sudden urge to ioen the watch and look inside.

"Walter?" he asked turning to face his father who was busy going through his record collection/ "Where did this come from?" He had never seen his father move so fast.

As if in anger, Walter snatched the item from his son's grasp. "Its just a watch Peter." He grumbled shoving it into his pocket.

"Doesn't seem like 'just a watch' to me.' Peter folded his arms and regarded his father with an intense glare.

"Well," Walter insisted as his thumb drew lazy circles over the cover. "It is." Walter continued to stroke the watch in a way that left no doubt about the importance of its existence. "I have had it forever, it's just been. It was your grandfather's, before he left Germany."

Peter looked over Walter's shoulder at the watch again. "Those marking's don't even remotely resemble German.' Peter intoned. "In fact, there is nothing familiar about any of those markings Walter, and I know plenty of languages.'

Walter snatched the watch into his closed fist and gifted his son with a warning glare. "Well they are just decorations." Suddenly as always, Walter's demeanor became the typical jovial affability that made his outbursts often easily forgiven

"I don't remember ever seeing this before, and Mom never said anything about it."

Peter, long used to his father's eccentricities brushed aside the apparent annoyance in his father's voice and pressed on, "What is all the strange markings on the watch Walter? It looks like something from a science fiction convention. You been sneaking off to ComiCon without my knowing?" he asked in an attempt to lighten the dark look that overtook his father's features.

"Its just a watch Peter, best you and I finish this before Olivia comes in and realized the family she is marrying into is so easily distracted." Walter turned back to the box he was working on, and Peter knew the conversation was over, at least for now. He vowed to get an answer about the strange item in his father's things, but experience with Walter taught him nothing if not patience. , "

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The couple stood in the center of the stone room, he with his hands thrust deep into too tight pants pockets while the dark beauty at his side pretended to not be concerned about the outcome of the proceedings they witnessed.

The tall man with punky glasses grinned wolfishly at the other beings in the room.

"They're giant Panda bears.' Martha mumbled loud enough for the Doctor to hear/

"Now Martha' he admonished changing neither grin, nor decorum; "You should be careful which words you use here, these are very tense negotiations." He smiled broader at the other side of the room where a tribunal of blue creatures stood with battle arms and steely glare. "These two races have been at war for hundreds of years. What we have here is a chance, a real chance at peace for these people. Besides," he nearly sing-songed in that still too quiet voice, "Panda means snot in their language, do try to restrain yourself."

With a defiant shake of her head, Martha rephrased her initial summation of the crowd. "It's the Smurfs versus the Care Bears." She impishly stamped her foot in deference to the absolute ridiculous nature of the scene.

The doctor chose to ignore her blatant disregard for his superior intellect as he turned to address the two sides. "Fellows, we have come here to finally put to rest this debacle of compassion. The Gherinda are a proud people," he pointed to the black and white ten foot creatures to his right. "We have no choice but to end this senseless fighting before these actions take-"

The Doctor absolutely despised being interrupted; especially when he was on the verge of a tangent. Worst, yet, someone's cell phone had been the culprit. The strains of a hauntingly familiar song began to strum through the stone chamber, guitar chords echoed off of the stone walls with an eerily sweet resonance. For a moment the Doctor was nearly transported to a different time, a different place, a different him.

The doctor whipped his head around desperate to find the head of the person that would receive his wrath. He fished through his pockets for his Sonic to deaden the sound.

Martha had been humming along with the song, a flash of distant memory seemed to mark her and carried her away to somewhere h=she had not been in at least ten years. A hot summer night, a parking lot, a bonfire. She had not even realized she had been humming along with the tune until she stopped humming when it became apparent that the two warring factions in the room were none too impressed with her melodic indifference to the goings on in the room. Mumbling something about Simon Cowel Martha turned her attention to the still fumbling Doctor. "Doctor!" her voice adapting into a strained stage whisper, but the man at her side continued his frantic search for his sonic. "DOCTOR!"

"What?" he barked annoyed at her intrusion.

The music had ratcheted to a fearful crescendo, the occupants in the room not familiar with mid seventies classic rock seemed more than a little put off at the interruption to their meeting. The Doctor, for his part managed to smile and grin as he dove his hands deeper into the bottomless pockets.

"I know this song. " Martha's face became a mask of some far away memory that seemed to tug at her for moments, then abruptly she picked up when the words did.

"Oh let the sun beat down upon my face

The stars to fill my dreams

I am a traveler of both time and space

To be where I have been."

The Doctor realized at that very moment that the music was emitting from his person, more importantly, his pants.

"Doctor," Martha smirked after her impromptu interlude. "Your pants are singing."

Turning to the crowd of angry aliens, the Doctor flashed his most dazzling smile before offering the ubiquitous. "I have to take this," loud enough for the whole room to hear. Momentarily forgetting his earlier ire at those with cell phones interrupting important meetings, the Doctor fished into his pants to retrieve the offending item.

But it wasn't a cell phone.

Martha wondered how he managed to fit the alarm clock into his pants, more importantly how the device managed to leave no trace of its presence upon the tight fitting suit that seemed to be more skin than clothing for the manic genius.

The mad look in his eyes flashed to deep intense insanity as he glared at the face of the clock. The language may as well have been Greek to her, and for all Martha knew, it in fact was. But the Doctor seemed to understand full well the ramifications of whatever tell-tale zymology unfolded upon the oddly crafted device, for upon a quick glance, he announced to her in the most frighteningly desperate tone. "We have to go." He insisted, grabbing her arm nearly painfully "Now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

She never really found the fairness in the difference in their leg length. While the tall brunette man took easy long strides toward the blue box, Martha found herself running at full tilt to keep up. "Doctor? Why did we leave in the middle of the negotiations? You said this was an important step toward peace for the Gheradi and the Anghli."

"And it is," he agrees as he opened the door to the TARDIS. "But what is the point of world peace if the universe is reduced to ashes."

Martha was used to cryptic from the Doctor, he seemed to revel in his own cleverness and ability to dodge direct answers at the speed of sound.

"So what happens if we aren't there? How are they going to ever stop warring?"

The Doctor adored her compassion and her sense of right and wrong, but right now, he needed Martha's strength. The woman who walked the Earth was a formidable woman indeed. Her willingness to forgive him and travel with him again was something that the Doctor swore to never again take for granted. "Oh, they will manage," he offered with a dismissive wave as he flung his coat onto one of the coral struts before attacking the controls with a vengeance. "That lot they really don't need our help; they just love to fight with an audience. Sort of like parents going through a nasty divorce. They don't need a mediator, what they need is a marriage counselor."

"Wait, what was that about the universe falling to ashes?" Martha hated that late feeling she got when the Doctor fired off at break neck speed. It wasn't that she was slow, not by any means; she just didn't have the right playing speed for his mania. He was a 45 set to play at 78, and all she could manage was a paltry 33 and a third.

He rolled his eyes in that exasperated 'I am dealing with humans I had better tone it back' way before continuing. "Martha, what was that song? I know it but I can't seem to remember it."

Martha smirked and folded her arms from the other side of the console. "really?" she offered with a devilish grin. "You mean to tell me there is something you don't know?"

"Welllll…" the Doctor scratched behind his neck before choosing his next words, cautiously. " I was there when it was written; I just don't know what those four blokes finally named the damn thing."

"Oh, so now you are going to tell me that you were there when the song was written?" she challenged leaning over closer into his space.

"Martha," he grabbed for the mallet, "check the lyrics, the song is about me, I just wanted to know what the damn thing is named. "

He could tell she was ruminating over the lyrics and when she spoke it was with complete acceptance of his story. "Oh my God! Kashmir? That song is about you? Oh pilot of the storm that leaves no trace / Like thoughts inside a dream / Heed the path that led me to that place…"

"yellow desert stream. Yeah, nice blokes, a bit hairy. I told them, I said 'You know,, there are better ways of finding altered consciousness than hallucinogens, but…" the Doctor again made that dismissive hand wave as he sent them into the vortex. "Ah youth…"

Stunned, Martha tried to find words that would not make her sound as flabbergasted as she felt. "so, they travelled with you?"

"Welll, off and on. I took them to meet Tolkien; those blokes really hit it off. They wrote a lot of songs about his work, and he seemed to make them into characters in his books. "

"The Lord of The Rings Trilogy? Are you telling me that Tolkien wrote the four travelers after the four of members of Led Zeppelin?"

The Doctor seemed to be getting annoyed, which was a sure sign that he had lost interest in impressing her, and had a more pressing issue to attend. "Yes, well as I said, they travelled with me off and on in for a time. In fact the last time was right before Bob's son died of that infection…" the Doctor seemed to fire off from the controls. "Oh,' he said pounding his head with the rubber mallet, hard enough to make Martha concerned for the mallet. "Oh Led Zeppelin, dead son, oh…."

"Doctor?"

"Oh Martha I am so thick and old and stupid!" he fumed before launching off again to the console. "Oh how could I have done that, what the hell was I thinking. Oh oh NO no no no no no no NOOOO!"

They had enjoyed the pizza, even with the insisted upon addition of pineapple and anchovies, Peter and Olivia had enjoyed sitting in the remnants of the little rented house as they listened to Walter's tales of science gone awry.

If nothing, it had been a nice night foreshadowing of a reasonably quiet future.

Olivia smiled at her future father in law as he described the time machine he had put together. Though she was admittedly unsure how much of the story had been cooked up in St. Claire's and how much was real, she smiled at the right parts.

For his part, Peter shook his head and removed the wine from the box that the trio had been using as a table. "No more Pinot Walter," he snickered before heading toward the kitchen. "I think you have had enough."

"That is exactly why I dumped Heir Fuhrer in prehistoric Great Britain. " the older man insisted, he had brought himself up from sitting and trailed behind his son, mostly to retrieve his glass of wine., though proving his sanity was also high on his list of accomplishment. "I tell you Peter time travel is entirely possible, even mostly probable."

"Walter, if time travel were possible wouldn't there be like dozens of visits from these travelers? I mean wouldn't we have been visited at some point by someone from the future?" Peter marveled at how natural his relationship with Olivia had become as they silently fell into place in clean up. She washed dishes as he easily placed items back into their proper places.

Walter made a dismissive wave of his hand as he began to fumble through the half packed kitchen. "Bah, anyone who has the means to travel in time I am sure has far more important things to do than materialize into a timeline simply to prove they were right. Anyway, there are rules and guidelines,"

"Didn't Stephen Hawking once throw a party for time travelers? He sent out invitations the day after the party for anyone who would want to show up and prove his theory wrong. " Olivia secretly loved getting into these discussions at the Bishop house. She never pretended to fully understand everything they argued about, but it was fun dropping in her own information and coming in on either side of the discussions. You know, just to keep things interesting. She loved Peter, and had finally moved to a place where she was willing to look upon Walter as something other than the monster who had stolen her childhood.

The younger man nodded at the blonde woman next to him. "See,' Walter, not even a party just in their honor."

Walter shook his head but went on. "A time traveler would no more show up for some insignificant party than he would to pull off some cheap parlor trick." He insisted gruffly, "time travel is a serious thing, and I will prove to you that I have done it."

Peter shook his head again, realizing he did that a lot when talking to his father. "Walter, it's not that I don't believe you, but there is so much evidence to the contrary. Albert Einstein's twin Paradox completely f=defines the reasons that time travel is impossible."

"Albert Einstein spent far too much time in the theoretical and not enough in the applied science. He had no imagination, I told him to get out of the patent office, but it was as if he feared of the real world. Great mind though, never seen anyone who could make absinth blindfolded-'

Olivia smiled indulgently at the older man. "You talk like you have met the man Walter," she looked to Peter for some sort of confirmation of the truth.

"Walter, please tell me you don't think you met Albert Einstein," it was as much humor as pleading for absolution of his father's sanity.

Walter stared into the recessed lighting of the kitchen's high veilings before continuing. "No, " he muttered absently, " Of course not. " Walter rubbed his hands together exdcitedly as he dove for the refrigerator. "Now, who is ready for dessert?"

Olivia dried her hands and moved to lean against her fiancée. "I could really go for some chocolate cake." she smiled.

Peter wrapped an arm around Olivia's shoulders and smiled down to her. "Maybe we could hop into Walter's time machine and go get one from Napoleon era France. I hear they could really bake a cake." He grinned to his father.

Walter held the same look on his face, completely non-plused by the young couple's humor. "I don't know where you lost your imagination son, but I wish you would make the trip to get it back." He sipped on his red Slush-o and slid out of the bar stool at the island. "Oo I have to go finish packing, there is to be a wedding soon."

He sat back on the jump seat, hands thrust through his hair, sheer panic worn on his face like a bad Halloween mask. "Doctor?" Martha asked again for the twelfth time to get his attention. Martha knew he was not ignoring her, he was in a near catatonic state, and she was beginning to become a little more than afraid.

Finally, the Doctor pulled himself forward, his hands moving to his face to erase the panic with an intense pensive stare. "I am fine Martha. I am always fine. " An enigmatic smile offered the young woman no reassurance for his assertions. "I have to…" he stopped as if finally realizing where he was and who he was with. "Martha, I need your help."

She nodded and set down next to the frantic alien. "Whatever you need Doctor, "she offered her hand to him which he took with more tenderness and gratitude than she expected. 

He sighed and leaned into his friend. "Before the time war, I needed to disappear, I needed a break. " his hands trembled as he spoke, and even with a tighter grasp from the young woman, the Doctor still felt his hands become uncontrollable. "I was such a different man then, so filled with such rueful rebellion and carefree exploration. It's one thing to be a rebel when you have something to rebel against/"

"Does this have to do with the alarm today?" she asked leaning into him as much as he into her.

"Yes," he nodded, "It was a message from me to me. I need your help Martha; I have to go wake someone up."

"Oh," she knew, even before he said it, she knew this involved that awful machine. "I don't know if I can Doctor. I have not had a whole lot of luck with you and that thing."

The Doctor nodded before rising, "I have all the faith in the universe in you Martha. I know I can rely on you for this. HE, I , this other me was more…receptive…to people. I know I was not the nicer person to you in Farringham, but I promise this is entirely different. "The Doctor still carried the guilt of his treatment of his best friend t his own hands. She had done nothing but what he had asked, and he in turn had become a product of his environment. Strange for a man who considered certain aspects of human behavior so reprehensible, yet fall to them at the first sign of human interactions.

"You don't need to keep apologizing about that Doctor. I told you the past is the past. I am only uncertain because if this is your past self, then you don't know me and what about the situational aspects of it? What if I am walking into a period in time where any interactions with racism." Martha did not want to bring up Farringham again, but if she was to be given another mission, she would prefer to know what she was walking into. With Farringham, she had no idea what to expect before the Doctor thrust the maids costume at her.

The sudden manic panic resumed as the Doctor began the process of pulling them out of the vortex and into the correct time. "Oh Martha Jones, Doctor Martha Jones, this is different, this time I hid in plain sight." He grinned and grabbed for the crank setting them hard onto their destination.

"I have my own issues with what he has done to me in the past Peter, but I truly believe that his intentions were of the most noble. " Olivia rested her head on Peter's chest as they sat on the old porch swing. It was a beautiful night, the kind that made you believe in magic of any form. Crickets sand to each other under a moon big enough to touch.

There was a time when a conversation involving his father's past dealings would have made him uncomfortable, and in many ways it still did. Peter never made excuses for the old man, knowing full well what he was capable of, from first hand knowledge. But there was a small part of him that was oddly grateful to have a fellow survivor of his father's experimentations. "I just wish.." Peter began looking off across the street.

Olivia raised her head a bit and looked into his eyes. "Wished what?"

"That he wasn't so different, that he was a normal Dad." The words left his mouth before he realized how infantile and whiny they sounded. I'm sorry; I know I should be grateful that I had him at all."

Olivia nodded and gave him the breadth to continue.

"Like earlier today, while we were packing, I came across this pocket watch, old odd looking thing/" Peter scrunched in closer to his fiancée as if sharing an intimate confidence. "When I even asked him about the watch, he freaked, grabbed it away from me and insisted it was just a watch. Its not like I am not used to Walter's odd behaviors, it's just that sometimes I wish he were a little more normal. "

"Ge does love you Peter, and hey who ever said that life would be perfect? No one ever gave any of us a guarantee that things would be a cake walk every day of our lives. "

Peter held Olivia closer to him. "I know, but perfection for me, is right here. I am so glad you are here with me." he smiled and gently kissed her lips.

"We desinately have not had the perfect path." She whispered.

"But we are here now." Peter insisted.

Olivia looked at his face, seeing the sheer happiness even in the dim light of the small porch lamp, "See? We can appreciate the perfection because we know the other side." She smiled

"Harvard University, well la di da!" Martha marveled as they stepped out into the bright summer day. The Doctor had parked the TARDIS aside the entrance to a foot bridge and the two travelers stood at the apex watching the rowing team practice.

"Yes, well regardless of the outside appearance I am still brilliant.' The Doctor grinned at his companion's obligatory eye roll.

"So," she began desperate to deflate the eminent head swell. "What's the plan?"

The Doctor pointed to a low, tan stoned building. "The Kresge Building, in there, in the basement." He offered.

"And the lab is where I need to go?" she was trying to get more information out of the alien. The thing with the Doctor, he rarely answered direct questions, at least not willingly. One would fair better at feigning stupidity or ignorance. If the Doctor caught the faintest whiff of a chance to impart wisdom, he would offer more information than warranted. Ask for the information directly, and you were likely to find out about the climate of Arkellian IV Martha often wondered if this stemmed from some superiority issue the Doctor housed. But then, who was she to begrudge a doctor a good old fashioned God Complex.

The Doctor graced her with his patented 'pat on the head' glare before nodding his answer. "Oh, I would imagine that would be the best place to start. " He looked away as he continued. "Martha, there are things, that I have to face here. Things that have brought bearing onto future circumstances…."

"Doctor?" she asked peering at him over her sunglasses.

His demeanor altered so quickly, Martha could almost hear a snap as he shot back to the manic genius. "Well, off you go then. Remember Martha, not one little thing, he mustn't know about the future, just focus on the present." The wagging finger quickly morphed into a gentle touch against her back, gone quickly as he stood with his back to the TARDIS door. Facing her with that look of absolute trust and forlorn impatience, he smiled her across the street.

Astrid Farnsworth knew crazy. Working next to Dr. Walter Bishop for three years had brought crazy to her front door, deposited into her lap where it curled up like a warm and comfortable old cat. Crazy was something that sniffed around Walter and his lab on a regular basis.

But the beautiful young woman who wandered into the lab mysteriously that late spring morning the young woman had the look of someone with a serious mission to fulfill. Astrid was not accustomed to people wandering in mysteriously, the usual Harvard student steered clear of the rumored goings on in this lab. The only people who came in here were government officious types, and the occasional emergency personnel depositing a body. As far as most here within the hallowed halls knew, this was a lab where biological deeds persisted with volunteered bodies.

Most people here never knew she has once refused to assist in the dissection of a man fused with his alter universe self.

No one here at Harvard knew she had once witnessed larvae erupt from the chest cavity of an MIT student.

No one knew of her secret love for the oddities that had become her world, painted in things they never taught at Quantico. The challenges here were not for the squeamish not the rookie, yet here she was filling the shoes of both and loving every minute of it.

Not to mention the walking enigma that had become the focus of her day to day life. No one knew how she felt about him, and she decided to vehemently hold that close to her until the end of time.

The young woman entering the lab had no idea of any of these things, but Astrid knew that weird had come walking in with her, she knew because weird came with everyone who crossed the threshold into Walter Bishop's Wacky World of fantastical things.

That and Astrid Farnsworth was absolutely certain that she had locked the door on her way in this morning.

"Hello?" Astrid asked standing in front of the woman as a means of censuring her further encumbrance into Walter's lab.

The young woman gave an affable smile and thrust her hand toward the annoyed guardian.  
"Hi, I'm Dr. Martha Jones; I am looking for Walter Bishop? I was told I could find him here." Martha tried to use that same disarming demeanor that seemed to work so well for The Doctor when he was trying to get his way.. He had once told her to just walk around like she belonged there, and it had soon become a mantra. Served her well during the year that never was, and when the Doctor dragged her into situations that required stealth, which was usually all of them.

Astrid cocked her head to the side before continuing, "I don't think Walter is expecting anyone." She wondered briefly is this was another relative of someone else the aging genius had hurt. She felt a sudden need to protect him, as she always did in the face of strangers who did not understand him.

Martha flashed a smile of understanding at the other woman. "I am just looking to-"

Just then, the door opened as Olivia came down the stairs in her usual hurry, followed closely, but intentionally behind by Peter, who held large white bags in his hands. Walter entered the room loudly singing as he clutched a full cup holder from Starbuck's. "How soft your fields so green, can whisper tales of gore / Of how we calmed the tides of war, we are your overlords…" Walter seemed lost in thought, not even noticing the strange woman in the lab. He grabbed his own coffee from the carrier and whistled the rest of his song as he moved to the other side of the lab.

It was nearly comical to see the two of them stop quickly, nearly crashing into each other. Peter stepped over to a nearly table and deposited the bags, behind Olivia's appraisal of the English woman. "Hello?" she asked in her contralto American lilt

Martha again extended her hand, but Astrid spoke for her. "This is Martha Jones," Astrid offered hooking a thumb in the woman's direction. "She says she is here to see Walter."

"Doctor, Martha Jones actually." She smiled shaking first Olivia's hand then Peter's.

Peter scowled beneath the smile. "I'm sorry, but I don't think there is any way that my father knows you."

It was Martha's turn to scowl, "Your father?" she placed an uncertain emphasis on the second word. A moment's panic drove Martha to fish for words to cover up her brief anxiety. She continued after making a mental note to wring the neck of a certain time lord."I came a long way to see him. I studied at Oxford, and well your father is a legend there. His papers on gene manipulation and reanimation of necrotic tissue are required reading for biological sciences. "

At the mention of his name for the third time, Walter looked up and noticed the young woman. Without a word he came around the table at a speed that no one expected. Sniffing the air gently as he neared the newcomer, "Hello, my you are lovely and what an enticing aroma you have."

"Walter, we usually don't sniff guests that come to see us. " Peter stared at his father with all of the mortification of a fifteen year old just discovering his parents making out on the couch.

Walter continued to ignore both his son and the dangerous glares of his assistant as he continued his olfactory perusal of Martha. "What is that smell?" he mused more to himself than to anyone else in the room. "It's so familiar and yet…" he began to smell Martha in earnest, beginning on one side and slowly sniffing his way to her front. "I can't place it."

Suddenly, without warning, Walter's curious scientist face congealed into something hard and foreign. No one in the room missed the brief transformation. A silence poured forth as Walter snapped away from Martha and returned to the other side of the lab.

"You sure you want to talk to him?" Peter asked slightly concerned eyes hid under an amused glare.

Martha nodded as she examined the younger man. "It's sort of important." she hedged..

Nodding, Peter answered her request. "Listen, Doctor Jones, I appreciate that you must have come here from a far distance to learn something from my father, but in truth he is not the man he once was."

Martha wondered at the familial relationships here. Why was son in charge of father? The Doctor had told her so little, and expected so much of her. Martha knew this was not going to be solved in one interaction, but she felt it a good idea to leave herself an in. "Your father has an incredible mind Mr. Bishop." She flattered. "I studied much of his work at Oxford, but I wanted to get some help on a problem." She smiled her best smile and surveyed the room.

"Well, Dr. Jones, any other day and I would say pull up a cushion, grab a blankie its story time." He flashed her disarming smile that Martha found oddly familiar. "But today, we have about a million and one things to do. So why don't you make an appointment with the lovely Astrid here, and we will get to you."

"Well, " she huffed as she made her way to the TARDIS, "that went well."

"Well, you didn't expect it to be a breeze did you? Remember Farringham?" he smirked as he stepped from around the side of the blue box. "John Smith had no intentions of letting go of the life I had there,. I am sure it is no different for Dr. Walter Bishop."

"It would be a lot easier if you had been more forthcoming about a few things Mister!" Martha wagged her finger at the Doctor as he let them into the ship. "What is all this about Peter Bishop?"

The Doctor cringed as he made his way up the ramp. " Oh' he threw over his shoulder. "didn't I mention him?" he began to pull at switched to get them into the vortex.

Martha had had enough. There were times when the Doctor's elusive behavior was charming, but when faced with a situation that needed to be handled with utmost care, the alien's misleading behavior bordered on dangerous. "Doctor, if you want me to do this, and we both agree the level of seriousness in this situation, then you are going to have to be much more generous with information." She folded her arms and stared him down.

The Doctor hung his head in submission, "I know," he sighed, "But you have to understand, my Eighth incarnation had so many…issues." He shook his head and came around the console. Grabbing her arm, he pulled Martha to sit next to him on the jump seat. "What do you need to know?"

Martha leaned into him as she began to speak. "Peter Bishop? He's your son then?"

"Sort of…" the Doctor nodded. The glare from the woman next to him made him speak. "He was conceived when I was human, so technically, he is his son more than mine."

"So, no two hearts, no sonic screwdriver…"

"No dashing in to save the day, handsomely rugged good looks…"

"Pompous behavior, unerring ability to be wrong at the worst times…."

"…..no god given inherent fashion sense…:

"…stupid pinstriped suits and floppy gym shoes…."

"OI!" the Doctor shoved Martha in the shoulder in mock outrage. "Seriously there are some things I probably should let you know about him." The Doctor grinned before rolling his head and laying it on the back of the seat.

They sat quietly for a long stretch, something that gave Martha the impression that there was so much big that the Doctor was leaving out, she wanted him to talk, but knew twisting his arm only led to a quiet time lord with a twisted up arm. "He has to remember something Doctor, I get the impression that he has some sort of residual memories. Like you with the Journal of Impossible Things."

"Oh?" he asked, really not wanting to poke that particular bear, but knowing that some things needed to be brought into the open. What he had done as John Smith to Martha was something he carried as an intense shame. Human or not, he always though himself somehow better than the apes he protected. But, in truth, when it came doe=wn to it, human nature won out over higher intentions. "Why do you say that?"

Martha sat up a bit taller as if to gain strength from her stature. "He seems, broken somehow. I can't explain it Doctor. : She fidgeted a little before continuing. The Doctor noticed her sudden discomfort but chose to await her explanation. "He sniffed me." She admitted finally.

The smirk on the Doctor's face nearly earned him a Francine sized slap, "really? Wellll I am not surprised, you a doctor Martha should know that smell is the strongest sense for you humans. I would not doubt if he smelled the vortex on you. It's a strong scent. I would imagine having that memory may set the stage for what needs to be done." He rose quickly and headed for the console. "Probably misses it."

A memory of a lost man sitting in a cramped flat in 1969 made the young physician realize the validity of that statement. "Wait, Doctor?" Martha fired indignantly "You mean to tell me you don't remember any of this at all?"

The Doctor considered his companion as if she had grown a new head. "Well Martha, it hasn't happened to me yet. Well today did, and I do remember smelling you, but," he sighed and began to fiddle idly with the levers.

"I thought we were following a script here, I mean how do we know this is even going to work?"

The Doctor made the same hand gesture as when he showed her his hand at the end of the universe. "Still here." He grinned. "Martha, if there is anyone that can shove the truth under my nose, its you."

Folded arms and a huff were little display of shared confidence. "I think he's crazy, or you are crazy. I think he's not all there."

"Seventeen years in a mental institution will do that to a person." He mumbled. Absently run=bbing the back of his neck

"What? WHAT? You spent seventeen years sectioned?"

The Doctor reeled himself back into the seat. "I was left alone Martha." He accused. "Back in Farringham, I had you to take care of me." He gave Martha's offered hand a firm squeeze before going on. " There are things Martha, which you will learn about me, things that are going to bring out a bad side of my nature. Be open minded, I was only human after all." The Doctor faced Martha with a grim smile as he sighed and rose to attack the console.

"Right then." He began in that patented manic panic that Martha loved and knew so well. "What we need Dr. Jones, is a plan." He looked at her with a cheeky grin. "You up for a little prankery?"

"So you have no idea what could have caused every single siren on the Eastern Seaboard to go absolutely apeshit?" Peter asked as the small group stood in the lab.

Olivia glanced at her fiancée and offered a slight smirk. "Apeshit, is that the technical term?" Folded arms and sparkly glare belied the seriousness to her tone.

Peter shrugged and went on. "Some weird shit was evident though. SETI, of all things reported a spike in communications "

"Wait, SETI, as in Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence?" Olivia frowned but accepted the printed sheets from Peter. "What the hell does SETI have to do with phenomena that woke up half the country Tuesday night?" she asked scanning the papers.

"Oh, SETI!" Walter shouted running over to the couple. :I rather like them They have been scanning the skies looking for alien life since the seventies. I had the opportunity to visit there once, Amazing technology." Walter took a large bite of the candy bar in his hand before continuing, "You know, I think I could see how they would be involved in all of this."

Peter tried to ignore his father's pronounced chewing, choosing instead to face Olivia as he spoke. "SETI claims that while there was no signal of an extra terrestrial nature, there was, however a huge surge is sonic waves."

"Peter, did you say sonic waves?" Walter asked suddenly stopping his mad chewing and turning to face his son. An odd look crossed the mad scientist's features before he affixed a glare of utter confusion. "this is a serious thing Peter, a sonic pulse that can emit that kind of sonic wave is something I have not seen in…"

"Walter?" Olivia asked noticing the wayward look upon the older man's face.

As if a switch was flicked, Walter returned a huge smile to his future daughter in law. "So, what's for dinner tonight? I could really go for some Enchiladas. I love enchiladas, especially the ones with-"

"That is great Walter, but this incident has little to do with anything more than an errant sonic emission from some satellite feed. We need to figure out if this has anything to do with the other side. Sonic wave technology can be used to phase shift the wall between universes."

Olivia cringed as she recalled her time on the other side, imprisoned by a man that resembled Walter. "I certainly hope this is not a portend of more shape shifters coming here. I though we had seen the last of those things."

He could always tell when she was t=remembering her time on the other side. Peter gave her his best reassuring look without compromising her professionalism. Even is she needed a hug at the moment, she would have killed him had he even tried. "I think it's time to get home Walter?" he turned toward his father who seemed to be engrossed with something twitching in one of the cages. "Its time to go Walter."

The two time travelers panted heavily after bursting through the blue doors.

"You enjoyed that!" Martha accused between great gasps as she sank into the jump seat.

The Doctor grinned at his companion before twirling the sonic screwdriver on his fingers then blew in to the tip like a gunslinger at the OK Corrale.

"You really enjoyed that!" Martha erupted into laughter as the Doctor moved around the counsel room.

The Doctor grinned at her and twirled around the console. "I don't know what you mean Dr. Jones.'

"I bet you were a little prankster in school weren't you? Bet you spent a lot of time in the head master's office."

"Weeee-eelll" the Doctor offered slyly. "So, now we have an in. The fringe department loves a good mystery, and I dare say we just gave them a good one. "

"I don't see how this helps to get me in there to Walter alone.' Martha asked.

"Trust Martha.' He smiled. "The human condition cannot help but be endeared to someone they can trust. What we need is to establish a level of trust with the Fringe Department. "

Martha tired to not look as confused as she felt, but in truth it was impossible to do either. "Soo…." She offered making a wrap it up motion with her hand.

The Doctor scooted next to her and handed her the psychic paper. "You are going to play the conquering hero, and ingratiate yourself into their good graces. " he smiled.

"Can't you just march in there and tell Peter who you are? I mean wouldn't that be a lot easier than all of this cloak and dagger act here?" she folded her arms in exasperation.

The Doctor offered her his biggest condescending smile. "Martha, " he sighed. "IWe cannot run the risl of Peter telling him anything that may keep him from opening that watch. Or worse yet, Peter himself opening it and releasing the essence into himself. "

"That would be bad?" she asked

"Donna bad." He replied bitterly. Again he flashed his I'm fine smile and changed the subject. " So, Martha Jones, are you ready to join the Fringe team?"

She accepted the psychic paper he offered and smiled back at him. "I am Mr. Smith." She giggled. "the question is, are they ready for me?"

Astrid watched the young woman descend the stairs. Instantly, her defensive instincts fired up. "Dri Jones?" she accused.

Martha made a face at the name. "That always makes me look around for Harrison Ford. " she offered the other woman her best Doctor smile before speaking again. "Juat Martha please, Agent Farnsworth right?"

Astrid was not impressed by the woman's continued too familial manners. She felt the stranger was intrusive and possibly untrustworthy;" I thought we agreed that we would meet with you next week."

"that was before the entire Eastern seaboard lit up like the switchboards on BBC one." Martha's demeanor offered no argument. She had travelled with the Doctor long enough to be able to affect a perfect immolation of his arrogant insistence.

Astrid sighed deeply and folded her arms. "I hardly see how you could offer any real assistance regarding the incident from two nights ago. "

Again the broad cheeky smile, again the arrogance notched higher. "Well, Agent Farnsworth," Martha insisted still smiling. "That's where you are wrong. " Martha flashed the psychic paper at Astrid

For her part, she was neither impressed nor intimidated by the credentials the young woman produced. "Why didn't you mention you were affiliated with UNIT and MI-5 the other day?" Astrid accused.

"Really didn't ask did you?" Martha offered as she began to move around the room. "I am going to need all the data you have on the incident, including military data sheets about what ships were in the area that night. I am also—"

"Whoa." Astird held up her hands to stop the tirade. "I cant allow you to just waltz in here and take over an investigation."

"And why not?" Martha asked again mimicking the Doctor's tone of insolent exasperation at human stupidity.

"Because there are rules to follow Dr. Jones." A voice from the stairs finished the statement. "You really can't just come in here and start making demands." Peter bishop moved toward the British woman with all of the annoyance he could muster.

"Mr. Bishop, I am here to—"

Peter waved her statement away and continued toward her. "Astrid, why don't you go and get that info together for the lovely Doctor here." He smiled "I was never one for rules Doctor Jones-"

"Just Martha really,' she smiled back at the handsome man. She already knew where his good looks came from, and was just as vulnerable to his.

Peter handed her the thick stack of materials and pointed her to a small area with a cramped desk. "You say you are here to help, but I can't allow you to take the information from here Martha. Whatever you can do to help would be appreciated. Let me worry about the protocols."

Martha thanked him and made herself a hole in the clutter, but not before texting the Doctor a simple message.

"I'm in" she hit send and dug into the imaginary information.

The Doctor smiled as he read her text. Martha never let him down, nor did she ever cease to amaze him. He would not have lasted the six months in 1969 without her. She was an amazing woman.

A little hero worship was more than warranted.

He placed the phone back in his pocket for safe keeping and made his way out of the TARDIS. He had not expected to look for trouble, but he knew if he did not meet with fate, fate would come for him and bite him in the ass.

IT wasn;t enough that his Eighth self was so fragile and befuddled, nor was it enough that he had realized that the Rift between Pete's world and this one was his fault. The Doctor had to admit to himself that he had doomed Rose to the other side, with actions he had done well before the Time War. Actions of a grieving parent. Even with the circumstances, the Doctor had to admit his part in the that lead to

The doctor ambled into the small Manhattan deli, fighting the sense of nausea that seemed to well up inside of him the moment he came in contact with September.

For his part, the odd hairless man seated at the booth seemed completely unsurprised at the appearance of the new arrival. "You should not be here." September offered.

The Doctor simply nodded and ordered himself a double cheeseburger and a large cup of tea. "I know,: he answered loftily. "America is hard to take when you're used to Great Britain."

September did not smile at the man across from him. "You are out of your time stream Dovtor. " he said placing his hands upon the table.

"And you are doing a fine job with the observing September. Tell me, how are things back on Gallifrey?" he smiled.

September merely continued to stare at the Doctor, not answering his question. "You were reprimanded time and again for your behaviors." the bald man accused "Do you have an idea of how badly you have interfered this time?"

The Doctor slid back into the booth. "No more than you have, " a quick jocularity overtook his features. "But don't worry old boy, I won't tell on you." He of course left out the fact atht there was no one left to tell. The time stream was severely askew now, and the Doctor knew he would need the Observers help to fix it.

September looked on without emotion. "You have left a lot to be cleaned up this time Doctor. You and your other self have managed to not only erase the line between the alternate universes, but you have also come very close to creating a paradox."

The Doctor sighed "you are not on the judicial board back home September, do refrain from wagging the fickle finger of fate at me. I came, the alarm went off and I came. I had no more idea what he was up to than you did. I am only beginning to remember all of this now." He sniffed and took a long pull from the crisp sweet tea. "It's like a dream I am watching as a movie. I am just starting to unravel the details. And you are one to talk,. If I remember it the way it happened, you helped me steal that boy from the other side."

September maintained his stony glare at the being across from him. "Do you really think that there was much of a choice Doctor?" He asked. "If we interfered then you know as well as I do that there was just cause for maintaining the timeline."

The Doctor grimaced "That very same timeline that is now blown all to hell," he spoke through clenched teeth. "You should have stopped me from even attempting to go over to that other side."

September continued to glare at the man. "And do what? Stop you? The High council could not stop you when they forced you to regenerate, or exiled you to Earth. You have been sanctioned, censured, sectioned, and punished repeatedly. And yet you continue to break the rules. So. How were you to be stopped?"

The Doctor watched as the Observer continued to write in High Gallifreyian "You are more than an Observer aren't you? At least this time." He accused. "You are keeping an eye on me for them aren't you?"

"And you are far out of your time stream Doctor." September shot back with no emotion in his voice. "Be careful Doctor, everything you do has consequences."

"I am well aware of any and all consequences that I may face in this September, I know what the stakes are this time. "

September placed his pen down upon the table and turned an intense but placid glare at the Time Lord. "Do you know what is going on right now?" he asked his old acquaintance.

The Doctor returned the man's stare.

The Observer resumed writing in his small book. "You should not have come here, you have set in motion events that will cause long term damage to the timeline."

The Doctor already knew this; he did not need a Guardian to tell him how badly the situation could go if not handled properly. "I have to seal up the rift. If its not, then you are going to see worse things than a few disrupted events and paradoxes; you know as well as I do that this could cause the very fabric of reality to be shredded to bits." The Doctor gave a dramatic sshredding motion with his hands in front of him.

September continued to be unimpressed. He stared at the Doctor with the same blank stare as always.

Sighing, the Doctor relented. Holding up his right hand in a mock oath, the Doctor spoke "I solemnly swear that I will leave the timeline the way I found it, I will not disturb the gentle order of things, and I will put away all of my toys when I am done."

September nodded quietly, gathered his things,threw a twenty on the table, and left without another word.

She knew he was making his way to her. The four members of the Fringe team had had an impromptu meeting regarding her presence in the corner of the lab. Rather than read over the information that she knew was a result of the Doctor's over active pranking habits, Martha instead observed the people in the room.

Olivia and Peter were at the very least sleeping together. It did not take a rocket scientist to observe the casual closeness masked by calculated distance. Martha wondered how long they had been faking it, and if anyone knew about their relationship.

It was Astrid that Martha found the greatest kinship. The young woman followed the older scientist around like a lost puppy and Martha could not help but wonder if she had ever been that bad.

Or was she still that bad.

Astrid definitely fit the role of companion for the Doctor in his life. She was everything Martha knew the Doctor would have looked for in a companion, smart, independent, loyal, and intensely defensive of the Doctor. Martha found herself in the small woman and realized that yes, she had it bad.

Doctor Walter Bishop, the man who she had come to awaken, was a puzzle indeed, a man who was too smart to function in the real world, but too grounded on this one to even contemplate leaving it. It was interesting to Martha to watch him move around the lab, his mannerisms seemed to bleed through the façade he currently wore.

She wondered where he hid his TARDIS and his Sonic.

"Find anything Doctor Jones?" it was Olivia Dunham's sweet strong contralto that shook her out of her revelry.

"Well, we have seen something like this back in England, but it was nothing more than a freak incident caused by a wayward EM pulse."

Olivia nodded and went on. "But you don't think this is the same thing." She asked.

"No, and I don't think this is tied to anything that may be fringe science related, nor do I think this is part of The Pattern. 'She offered before rising. "I would like to consult with a colleague before giving a definitive answer."

Before Olivia could answer Peter burst into the lab. He had left an hour ago after receiving a call from what Martha could only guess was their boss. "Olivia!" Peter's voice was husky and carried a note of desperation. "I just got back from a meeting with Broyles, we got a situation'

Olivia turned her attention to the man at her side. Martha noticed a look pass between the two in silent conversation. "There has been activity from the other side."

Olivia looked back to Martha. "Excuse me Dr. But I am afraid I am going to have to deal with this." She spoke dismissively as she thanked Martha for her assistance and began to follow Peter into an office on the other side of the lab.

Martha rose to follow the pair to their impromptu meeting. This had been one of the things she remembered the Doctor telling her about. The other side was a parallel universe, that much she knew. The Doctor had made sure she knew of some of the things she may hear while t=she covertly sat in the office.

She knew about the other side first hand.

She remembered where Rose had been sent to.

"Wait." Martha called running around a lab table to catch up to them. "The Other Side, are you talking about the other Universe?" she asked quickly.

Martha watched the pair look at each other before Olivia spoke. "I don't think it's a good idea that you become involved in this Doctor Jones, this is something that we have dealt with for a while." Olivia turned back toward her office, but Peter seemed to wait to see what the young Doctor had to say.

"I have seen this before Agent Dunham. I know more than you think. UNIT has been dealing with the other side too. It was supposed to be sealed off, how the hell is it open here?" Martha demanded following them into the office.

Martha could see the contempt of her intrusion written clearly across the woman's face, but Peter was intrigued and hopeful. "You sound like you know about the other side Doctor Jones." Peter led, arms folded.

Martha knew an accusation when she heard one; Peter was not on her side so much as trying to figure out which side she was on. She could not blame him, for all they knew, she could have come from the other side, she could be a spy or a plant trying to gather information about what they know. "I know about the Zeppelins over there that are more prevalent than cars. I know that their technology is way beyond ours." Martha became bolder as she spoke. "I know that if you have activity from the other side, then you may be in more trouble than you have been before. "

Peter looked as if he would blow if he did not share the information he had. He fired a look at Olivia who shrugged her shoulders in surrender. "Ok,' he offered. "Ok well Broyles and I got word while we were in his office just now." Peter shot a glance toward Martha but looked quickly back to Olivia.: there are new 'things' that have come across."

"Shape shifters?" Olivia asked.

Peter shook his head. "No these are different. Broyles is sending over one that was found lthis morning over in Boston. These things, they have appeared all over the Boston area, like giant metal statues. They aren't moving or anything. They just bleed through somehow. "

Martha blanched at his words. "What do they look like?" she asked barely above a whisper."

Peter finally turned his attention to Martha. "Let's find out together, they should be bringing it in right now. "

As if on cue, Martha could hear a commotion from outside of the office as Walter began blasting out orders.

Throngs of agents and people in officious looking uniforms were making their way through Walter's Weird Emporium. Martha was flabbergasted with the sheer volume of movement going on in the large lab. Having once worked for UNIT, she was not surprised at the swiftness of the actions. The emergency alerts were up and the troops were ready.

Peter and Olivia moved past her wordlessly. As if the conversation in the office had never happened, the intrepid pair was now focused upon the large covered gurney that was moved inoto the staging area.

One look at the sheeted form made Martha's stomach lurch and her hand grab for the mobile in her pocket. Just in case.

Walter had his hands on the sheet ready to flip the shroud off of the thing underneath. Martha could feel herself holding her breath as the sheet fell away to reveal the thing underneath.

Once she saw what it was, her hands fumbled for the first speed dial on her phone.

"Walter," Peter insisted without even realizing it, he had looped an arm around Olivia's, who was obviously in too much shock to protest the outward display of protection.

Walter shuddered; a small niggling had begun in the back of his mind. "I don't know," Walter admitted to his son while coming in close to the metal humanoid being on the sheet. "I don't think I have ever seen anything like this before." He offered.

Olivia finally realizing Peter's protective behavior stepped away from her lover and closer to the thing on the table. "What do you mean you don't think you have ever seen anything like this?"

Walter straightened himself up and stared at the young blond. "What I mean is that there is something here from the other side that bares closer inspection.' He fumed. "Now, I could get to the examination, or I can stay here and answer your questions."

Her annoyance at the genius poured from every syllable. "You either have or you haven't Walter. There isn't any time for your antics. I need to know if this thing is dangerous, should we be concerned?"

"Oh I would be concerned Agent Dunham." The Doctor offered from behind, causing the six people situated around the prone cyber man to turn toward his voice. "I dare say this is the most you should ever be concerned. "

Despite the situation, she was smiling when she saw him. She could not help it, she always smiled when he made one of his entrances, and he was good at it too.

He stood next to Olivia, hands shoved deep into his pockets with the smug intense glare on his face. Martha knew it was serious if he had taken the chance of crossing his own timeline to come here. "What this is," he began while moving both Olivia and Peter, back from the body. "Is something best observed from a distance.' He placed his hands upon Astrid gently moved her back as well.

Walter looked up at the Doctor's appearance, a flash of recognition moved across his face before it was gone again, replaced by the very same annoyance of the others in the lab.

Peter's face became a mask of irritation. "Who the fuck are you?" he fumed, stepping into the Doctor's space.

For his part, the Doctor neither flinched nor hesitated as he answered the anger ikn the young man's demeanor. "I am the man h=who knows exactly what that thing is." He pointed at the metallic being on the gurney. "And therefore, I am the man who is going to save your lives, and quite possibly the lives of everyone here."

Olivia came again toward the gurney, ignoring the menacing glare of the man in the pinstriped suit. "I don't think you should even be in here Mr.-"

He waved her away before storming over to the gurney and peering under the sheet. "So you have any idea what this thing is?"

"Look buddy, we don't even know who you are.' Peter wound up "But like the lady said, you need to clear outta here and let the big boys deal with this all right?" Peter offered a smile to the stranger that would have both melted ice and froze hell.

"What are you FBI?" the Doctor glared at the young man."I have the utmost respect for the FBI, but to be fair, you are in way over your heads here." He pointed to the sheeted thing again. "This is something from the other side, something that none of you have come into contact with yet. I have been dealing with these things for a long time now, and I can tell you they are like Veluvian roaches, if you see one, there are thousands that you don't see just waiting to tear your head off for dinner, or a late night snack, or-Well the point is, there are more coming and I assure you, you do not want to be in their path once they come. ."

The Doctor's words caught the group's attentions, even Olivia had removed her hand from her side are,. "Then what is it, if it's from the other side, I would know about it. I have been there, I spent a good amount of time over there, and I have never seen anything like this." As she spoke, Peter seemed as if he wanted to put his arm around her for comfort, but a slight jerk of her head stopped his arm before it even twitched.

The Doctor nodded at Olivia's words before ripping the sheet completely off of the creature. "Cyberman," he accused, "These are what have been brewing on the other side. I eradicated them from over here time and again, only to have them imported."

Martha flinched at the full view of the Cybermen, remembering what became of her cousin. For their part, Olivia, Peter, and Astrid took a healthy step back. But Walter remained rooted to the spot, his mouth gawping as a fish searching for water.

Walter stood staring at the thing as if he were attempting to access some memory, his hands rose over the metal structure just outside touching the thing. "This is impossible." He mumbled.

The Doctor turned on the older man. "The impossible thing here." The Doctor accused, meeting Walter's gaze. "Is the fact that this has not ripped a hole in the very threads of reality. "

Walter matched the Doctor's glare with an intensity of his own. He glared daggers into the thin man as he answered the accusation. "Not yet." He whispered.

Peter Bishop was not used to being told what to do. He eyed the strange latecomer with a mixture of anger, disdain, and out and out hostility. "I don't know who the fuck you are—"

"Language Peter" Walter and the Doctor admonish simultaneously.

Peter whips his head back and forth between the two diametrically distant men, not sure how to proceed. It was a rare thing for Peter Bishop to find himself devoid of some snarky antecdote, yet he found himself gawping madly at the two men. "What the F-"

"right," the Doctor shrugged as he began to move around the lab. "So what you lot are aware of the other side, Hmmmm." He began his characteristic mania about the large room as he spoke. "If memory serves me correctly and it always does-"

"Ahemmm?"

The doctor flashed his cheeky companion a look both wilting and wounded, "Oi!' he mocked." One time…"

"…"

He chose to ignore her secondary comment and fired on. "Right, you lot are dealing with the other side, all those odd monstrosities and foreign technologies. Lumic is a busy busy man. I myself was sort of put off by the zeppelins, I mean REALLY, zeppelins? Might as well strap half a million ballons to your bum filled with methyl lithium and fly around during a stout hurricane…."

"Doctor…"

He nodded at Martha and grinned again. "So , what you have here is a vyberman. A nasty little creature that was once quite human." he prodded the metal thing before continuing. "You have had a number of things from the other side, shape shifters, soldiers…"

"Not to mention a few trips there ourselves." Walter offered, despite the warning looks from the rest of his team. They were not sure what to make of this man, but he seemed to know things that could only have come with experience himself.

"Ah yes," The Doctor nodded exuberantly. "And of course the trips have weakened the thin membrane between the realities. Have you considered what all of those trips have done to the fragile seem that holds the realities in place?" he accused looking from one team member to the next until his eyes fixed upon Walter. "And," he accused "Removing things that don't belong to you."

Peter found his voice as he approached the thin man in the brown suit. "Now just hold the fu-" he stopped himself, "Just who are you anyway? And how do you know so much about the other side?"

The Doctor's serious Time Lord Scowl was quickly replaced by the wolfish grin he affected to disarm the odd angry native. "Oh, didn't I mention?" he aimed at the room. "I'm the Doctor."

"The _who_?" Astrid asked from behind folded arms.

"The Doctor" he answered as if answering if the earth went around the sun.

"Doctor,' Martha piped up tiring of the act. "What are we going to fo about.." she gestured toward the cyberman.

"The Doctor sighed and threw the blanket over the thing. Is there a secure room here, somewhere that no one can get in or out of easily."

"I was once locked in the back store room for ten hours," Walter offered almost wistfully.

The Doctor returned his comment with a pitying nod. "Is it secure?" he asked Olivia and Peter.

Olivia, more accepting of the bizarre proceeded to show the doctor the room, while Martha was met with uncomfortable stares. "I am guessing you two know each other?" Peter asked the young doctor.

She nodded," Yeah, he is sort of my mentor.' She smiled.

"At Oxford?" he asked with a tone that displayed his disbelief in her story.

"Not really.' Martha confirmed. "Look, I know he seems a little…"

"Odd." Astrid offered.

"Weird," Peter included.

"Strangely familiar."

Martha nodded and approached the older scientist. "Familiar how Doctor Bishop?" she asked in a small gentle voice.

Walter shrugged his shoulders and seemed to stare at something behind her. "I'. mpt sure/ its as if.." a wistful look came upon his face, but he continued on. "Its as if I know him from somewhere, but I have never seen him before in my life. "

"if I had a dime for every time you have said that Walter…' Peter shook his head with a small chuckle. "I don't know Walter, maybe he is one of your old cronies. Or given the Doctor's age, maybe one of your old students, since you've been…on sabbatical for the last few years."

"Would explain the guy's weirdness," Astrid agreed. "You must have taught him all you know Walter." She smiled.

Martha found herself biting her tongue to keep from both laughing and confirming how close they were to the truth. "Doctor Bishop," Martha coaxed. "If there is anything you remember lyou'll tell me right? More a demand than a request.

"Of course my dear," Walter offered, then headed off to the other side of the lab to watch Olivia and the Doctor secure the cyberman in the back store room.

Peter turned again to the small woman in front of him. "So, is he crazy?" Peter asked with a hooked thumb pointing toward the back store room.

"He's your father Peter, I am sure you could answer that one." Martha dodged.

Peter, not to be ignored, pressed on; "Oh I know from crazy, and I know for a fact that Walter is in more than acquainted with insanity. I pray each day that lunacy skips a generation. What I was I was referring to involved tall, pale and annoying back there."

"I wouldn't exactly call the Doctor crazy.." she started. But, Martha herself was forced to not only reconcile many of the Time Lord's actions as a little left of center, she also could not deny the similarities in behavior between the mad scientist and his later self. "We-e-e-ll…" she hammed without realizing her affectation of the Doctor. "Insanity is a strong word.

The Doctor, Olivia and Walter soon returned, the Doctor rubbing his hands in impatient finality. "So, now that that is settled.' He smiled. Before he could launch into a new diatribe, the main lab door burst open and admitted Special Agent Phillip Broyles into the area."We need to get moving." He blurted hastily in his officious monotone. "there has been another instance, and this time, there were casualties."

Special Agent Phillip Broyles was a patient man. Most people who knew him outside of the Bureau recognized an intelligent, standoffish man who enjoyed both his privacy and his lawn. On weekends at home, Broyles often found himself on an old boat chair in his back yard, feet propped up with a bottle of Lager. The only thing that Agent Broyles enjoyed more than working on his lawn was enjoying from his perch.

It was the sheer order of things he appreciated more than anything.

The military had taught a wild teen that chaos theory was only good for physics. It was order that Broyles craved, in everything. He could easily point to this as the reason he joined the FBU after his tenure in the service of his country. The order he maintained fed his need for more order. Phillip Broyles craved order, and Special Agent Phillip Broyles kept order, even in the face of chaos.

Perhaps this was the reason he hated to come to the Kresge building. Within Walter Bishop's Emporium of the Strange and Fantastically Fucked Up lay chaos, coiled like a snale and ready to strike at any time. He loved his agents; he enjoyed spending time with the Bishops. He had meant what he said about them being his family.

Only family could make you cringe and still come back for more.

But Walter's World should have a sign hanging on the door that read. "Abandon Sanity All ye Who Enter Here"

Maybe Christmas.

So, when the seasoned Lieutenant turned Special Agent entered the lab that spring morning, he was not expecting to see extra people there.

Not that that was an uncommon event, there were often people drifting in and out of the lab. Emergency personnel, wayward students, hapless volunteers; although, the last sort usually brought angrier visitors in suits and officious academic titles.

But the visitors today made his flesh crawl, if he had hair on top of his head it would be standing on end.

The man was tall, pale and thin, but looked as if he were about to explode at any time. He bounced from one foot to the next as Olivia handed around introductions and explanations.

The tall man merely went by a title, no name, just The Doctor. Everyone in the lab seemed resolute, if not comfortable with referring to the man as such.

To which, Special Agent Broyles merely raised an eyebrow and nodded,; while Phillip Broyles assured himself silently to het to the bottom of things after outer order had been maintained.

The craziness had to be tolerated in order to achieve order. And, in all honesty the best way to fight weird? More weird.

The ride to the scene had been characteristically odd, with the addition of The Doctor riding in the bak seat with his assistant, and Walter riding shotgun, Special Agent broyles could not help but feel he would need the quiet solitude of his backyard at the end of the day.

And maybe that six-pack of St. Paulie Girl he had been trying to save for the game on Sunday.

They arrived at the scene with Olivia, Peter and Astrid already swarming alongside the countless number of other trained professionals. The Doctor emerged from the backseat and drew a face that Broyles knew well. "What are all these people doing here?" the Doctor demanded already trying to shove people away from the fizzling circuitry of the prone cyberman. "All right, Allons-y everybody back!"

Agent Broyles made his way to the screeching Doctor. "I don't know who you are, or what you think this is," he began in the cool calm voice. The agitation in Broyles words came from its monotone evenness that usually stilled the actions of within earshot.

But, not this time

This time, the Doctor, as he called himself, simply fired back in a more even, more serious, more monotone voice. "Agent Broyles," the Doctor spoke; "there are things here that will give you nightmares if they allow you to live that long. You need to move your people back so I can assess what that creature's intentions are."

In fact, it was no stretch h to imagine what the intentions were. The scene that the tall man was trying to empty of unnecessary personnel was something straight out of some bad science fiction horror show.

Double Feature.

There were two of the metallic men laid sprawled across the concrete of the parking garage. Twisted and sparking, but not moving in their apparent state of fucked up.

The two creatures were not alone, each seemed to have come prepared to do some nefarious dealings with anything living they could come into contact with. The hands of the metal things were around the necks of now dead humans.

Agent Broyles noted a leash, and imagined a young couple, newly together, out walking their dog. He hated the images of happiness that entered his mind mostly because that happy normalcy had absolutely no business here. He made a mental note to ask about the dog. He bet it was a terrier of some sort.

It's always a terrier of some sort.

This was a cluster fuck that had bad written all over it in bright red letters. The things that once came over from the other side were just puzzles, nuisances that had to be cleaned p and kept from Joe Public. But the inception of these creatures brought even Olivia's imprisonment on the other side into a box marked. 'Small change.'

"Look, Doctor whatever your name, this is a matter for professionals. Now, I appreciate your expertise in a lab setting, but this is the real world, you have no jurisdiction here, in fact you are only here to placate my team."

The Doctor offered the bald man a withering look before continuing. "What you do have here Special Agent Broyles is a situation that is going to get out of your control very fast. I suggest you listen to what I have to say regarding the matter. I was on the other side. I have walked around and awed over the expedited technologies there. These things," He gestured to the metal creature; "are going to keep coming across the dimensional gap that your people created after I sealed it."

"Excuse me, _you_ sealed it?" Broyles questioned.

"If these things are coming through one at a time, chances are they are trying to find weaknesses in the fabric between realities. "

Olivia entered into the conversation in time to ask questions. "If that is the case Doctor, then wouldn't we see these creatures either walking around or all her at once. Why are they coming through one at a time? What is leaving these Cybermen in this condition?"

The Doctor turned and smiled at the blond. "Oh Olivia, you were always so smart." He asserts, ignoring the quizzical look on the two agents' faces. "Here is the thing, what most people don't realize about dimensional travel is that there is a space between the two realms. An empty dead space. These things that we are seeing now? They have spent what amounted to an eternity in that seas space between the worlds. I know because I sent most of them there myself."

Olivia stared at the tall man in the tight suit in very much the same way as when Wakter was on a tear. She had the feeling, the distinct realization, that there was more to this man than he was telling. "So, once they figure out a weakness—"

"—or make one themselves." The Doctor interrupted.

"Or find one themselves. " Olivia nodded. "Then, what. They are going to invade?"

The Doctor stared at Agent Dunham, a memory playing through his mind. He had once put her in a tank, drugged to the gills; she had willingly gone under his insane ideas in full faith of not only catching the bad guys, but saving the man she loved. He knew that she was special then, she was a woman that would believe, a woman that would see the world with an open mind. It was in this instant that The Doctor, in his tenth body, understood the father in his Eighth body, the father who sought and found the perfect match for his son. Olivia Dunham displayed all the best characteristics of the perfect companion.

He really did only take the best.

"There won't be an invasion Olivia." His used her first name as if informal, as if she already were family. "Once they are here, it's a victory. I have seen these things lay waste to entire worlds; they will annihilate everything they come into contact with. The only thing more deadly than a Cyberman is a Dalek."

"What are you talking about? What the hell is a Dalek?"

The Doctor waved the question away before continuing. "We need to get these holes sealed. If we don't completely seal the rifts, then it's all over."

Special Agent Phillip Broyles was no fool, while he was not sure if the man in front of him barking out orders to his men could be trusted, he was also no fool. He knew when to take control, but he also knew when he was over his head. Agent Broyles gave the order for most of the personnel milling about to be returned to less dangerous albeit just as productive jobs.

Martha knew he was making his way to her, even without looking up. If she had to think about it, perhaps it was some inner locator that alerted her. Doctor Bishop was so involved in his examination of the charred corpse that had come into contact with the cyberman; he did not even look up.

He leaned into her space as he spoke. "It's pointless really," he motioned his chin toward his other self, mi taking samples and being a good investigator.

"He doesn't know that. At least not yet. Doctor, is there really a threat here?" she knew there was, but something about this whole thing seemed, wrong somehow.

The Doctor thrust his hands deep into his pants pockets. "Martha, I truly wish there wasn't." In that moment, Martha could see something she had never saw on his face, nor had she ever even imagine to see him wearing.

The Doctor looked tired. His shoulders were slumped, head slightly bowed, the Doctor looked like a man who had just learned he'd lost. "What's the point? I get rid of them here, they come there. There is always something that creates more of something else. " He was speaking, but not at her. The inner dialogue scared her.

"Doctor, we have to try." She pleaded.

He again nodded in that sad manner, "the last time this happened, it was Rose shooting holes in the fabric with her dimensional cannon." Martha watched as a look of fierce anger flashed across his elfin features.

"Rose?" Martha quirked an eye at the mention of her name; "Is that how she got here the last time?"

"Yes," Martha watched her friend clench his fists in an anger usually reserved for those hell bent on destruction. "And if she has been hurt in any way because of this…"

Folding her arms in disbelief, Martha was again struck by how love can truly make one stupid. "And if she had a hand in furthering to weaken the barriers?" Martha pushed. "I mean, it is possible Doctor."

He turned to her then, and for small moments, Martha thought he would aim that anger at her "If she has anything to do with this," he glared fury dancing around the edges of his old, old eyes. "Then I will deal with her Martha. "

Olivia watched the two as they conversed. A perceptive woman, Olivia noted the anger in which the man tried to hide. She wondered who it was aimed at and could not help but instinctively pity the idiot who crossed him.

Olivia did not know this man, but he carried the same air as many of the soldiers she served with. Those who returned from Iraq broken and altered. Often, those who survived the horrors of what they had seen and done in the name of freedom ended their nightmare by eating their gun.

"So what? Did we hold open auditions for more weirdos?" Her fiancée handed her a large cup of coffee.

"Yup," she nodded over to the Doctor. "I'm sure he means well."

Peter scuffed at her uncharacteristic trust of a stranger. "What, no inner Spidey Senses warning you that this guy is trouble?"

"No," she shook her head at her own lack of cynicism, "it's weird but it's like he's familiar somehow. I sent Astrid on Shovel Detail, so maybe we will know a little more about this guy soon." Olivia offered him a knowing smile "I don't think he is really up to anything, but I still like to know who I am dealing with. "

He squeezed her shoulder and smiled back. "Agreed. On the plus side, Walter seems to have found a new playmate." He watched as the two odd men cajoled the skeleton crew of agents into the careful removal of the two cyber creatures.

Olivia smiled at the scene. She had to admit there were some characteristically odd similarities in the two men. "You think maybe there is a possibility that..."

Peter shook his head "Don't even finish that sentence Olivia.' He smirked at the blond woman. " Forget the idea of my father having some sort of sex life with…anyone" He allowed a small shudder to take over for the briefest of moments. "My father barely came home, let alone left the lab. There is absolutely no possibility of it, " He cocked his head sideways "Although, yeh I agree there is something here that is screaming Walter's World."

Astrid's call killed Olivia's agreement of Peter's summation. She flicked the button and answered.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Martha Jones had volunteered to see Dr. Bishop to the lab, riding along in the back of the ambulance with the two corpses. The Doctor had suggested it would be a good idea to spend as much time with Mr. Bishop as she could. Not only were the smell of the vortex, but also Martha's gentle nudging what the Doctor insisted would help him ease into his decision.

"He must open the watch himself Martha." The Doctor insisted. "You can't do it for him. " He admonished short of waggling a finger and patting her on the head.

For her part, Martha offered him a look that silently referred to why he had given her the job in the first place. Suitably reproached, the Doctor fired on, albeit with a little more respect for his companion's ability. "He is not going to want to hear some things Martha. He has been here for a long time. His family is here." The Doctor made a face Martha could not identify, but he pressed on. "This is not going to be easy but it has to be done."

"If this is all before the Time War, then doesn't he—don't _you_ have family back home on your planet?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yes, but it's a while yet before that happens."

"Then why the insistence upon doing this now, I mean, can't we just wait until he has lived out the rest of his 'life' here and then wake him up?"

"It's not that simple Martha. There are things that have to be done before the War even happenes. Each event must be preceded but another, and another. If any of these fragile events are not achieved, a breech in the timeline occurs and then we have-"

"A Paradox." Martha finished. "Well technically in this case we have a pair o' Docs" sje grinned at her friend who made a face and nudged her.

"Oh I like you Martha Jones, I always have!" He smiled.

Like any student, receiving praise from the teacher gave her the extra confidence she needed. She knew she could complete this task, but it would be done because the Doctor believed she was the one to do it. "Right then, and let me guess, you are going back to the TARDIS to check some timey wimey thing, right?"

The Doctor nodded but Martha could tell the pep talk was over. She watched him walk around the dar wall of the parking garage and out of sight. She decided to not wonder how he planned to get to Cambridge from downtown Boston, though on foot was possible knowing him. Running the whole way.

Dr. Bishop made himself comfortable on the low metal slab that was devoid of a body and she slid in next to him.

He smiled at her as she pulled her short legs onto the bench. "I have missed these rides. "

Walter nodded "You are a Doctor, right? I would imagine you have spent quite a bit of time riding in the back of ambulances."

"Well, not recently. Lately I have been doing a lot of travelling "

"Oh?" he offered an honest look of interest "Obviously you have come here to America, but where else have you been? Anywhere interesting?"

Walter offered her a look of absolute inquisition, and in that moment, Martha knew she had her chance to nudge, really nudge. "Yes, in fact Dr. Bishop I have seen places that most cannot even imagine."

His raised left eye offered no verbal coaxing, but she knew he was listening all the same. " I have seen a planet where a traffic jam went on for twenty years. I saw New York in the Forties. I have been wooed by Shakespeare and cloned by Sentarans." She went on. "I have been on an excape pod hurtling into a sun, chased by a giant mutant human,

Walter only nodded as she spoke, though she had been expecting to be either interrupted or threatened. Instead, he patted her hand and nodded knowingly. "Nasty things those Sentarans." He said as he looked forward not meeting her eyes. "The only way to stop those little men is to hit the back of the neck."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Doctor was not surprised to find September leaning against his TARDUS as he made his way to the blue box. September stood with his hands clasped in front of him and the requisite blank expression.

"Sp," the Doctor began, "Come to gloat, or are you here t o tell me how bad this entire situation is." The Doctor thrust his hands deep into his bottomless pockets as he glared at the Guardian.

September did not move an inch, even as the Doctor's glare became what could be classified as uncomfortable. "I am here to help you Doctor." He offered in that still monotone voice.

The Doctor continued to glare at September, not believing for a second that September's actions were purely altruistic. "You lot," he started after a pause. "You watch, and observe and write your notes in High Gallifreyian, " The Doctor shook his head. "You aren't supposed to get involved, remember?"

September gave a somber nod. "And as you pointed out, I have. I have to fix this, here for once and for all, or all of the timelines are going to fall apart. " He removed a small device from his pocket. "It's time to go now. "September said offering his arm to the Time Lord.

The Doctor, not accustomed to being a companion,, but knowing full well Guardians and their power, he reluctantly agreed to go with the man in the dark suit and fedora.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So, UNIT is what again?" Peter asked as they whipped through the crowded streets of Boston. He held on to the dashboard as his fiancée attempted to reach warp factor eight. He half expected Scottie to pipe in from the back seat about the ship not being able to take any more.

"United Intelligence Taskforce." Olivia spoke as she maneuvered around a car deemed too slow. "They are based out of the UK, an organization that deals with alien life. Astrid said that when she searched for information about this Doctor, Unit hit her with enough firewalls to keep her busy for two hours."

"Took her that long?" Peter smirked "They must really have some sort of thing on this guy."

"It gets better," she insisted still cruising. "The Doctor works for them, not Oxford. In fact, the Doctor has been working for UNIT since 1967."

Peter's worry line in the center of his forehead threatened to crack in two, "Wait a minute, 1967? The guy doesn't look a day over forty. How the hell has he worked anywhere since 1967!" he felt a headache coming on, the same kind he usually got when Walter was trying to convince someone to do something stupid all in the name of science.

Olivia hazarded a glance at the man she loved before she spoke again. She needed to gage his responses because she had a feeling that Peter was not going to like how any of this panned out. :that's the thing Peter, this guy, according to what Astrid found, this guy has had nearly a dozen faces. UNIT had an encrypted file on him a mile long. There were pictures, dossiers, and lists of everything. " They both sighed as they parked in front of the Kresge Building, though Peter's was of relief.

"So what, he is a master of reinventing himself, and he looks hella good for his age. Are we looking for Madonna?" he smirked.

Olivia however, did not share his mirth. "Peter, before we go in, " she rubbed her temples and looked over at Peter again. "She has pictures Peter. Astrid was pretty freaked when she called, she said one of them looks an awful lot like old photos she had seen of Walter. "

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Martha wasn't sure if she had heard the older gentleman right. She thought maybe he had just gone along to humor her. "Dr. Bishop?" she asked tentatively.

Waiter patted her hand and spoke. "I am quite all right dear." he grinned at her, a grin that Martha knew well. He didn't speak again the rest of the ride back to the lab. But, as the agents began to roll the gurneys with the Cybermen into the Kresge Building, Walter turned around as if he was looking for something.

The blue box was identifiable to him now, he could see past his own instilled perception filter, He hurried across the little road, barely aware of the young woman at his heels. He could feel a niggling in his mind. But his human form would not allow the full contact he craved. "Oh she is so beautiful!" he breathed touching her d=sides with a reverence that Martha had witnessed her own doctor perform time and again.

Walter began to search his pockets, and Martha knew full well what he was looking for. "I don't think going in there is such a good idea Dr. Bi-" his fierce look stilled the words in her mouth.

Walter continued to stare at her expectantly "I know she is not mine Dr. Jones." He insisted with an almost harsh tone to his voice. "But I also know you have a key."

Martha, having witnessed the theft of the TARDIS at the hands of Professor Yana, was more than hesitant to allow access to the Doctor's most sacred possession. She shook her head.

He smiled at her then, with that same look that she had received just an hour ago from his other self. The student was again dazzled at the reticent admiration from the teacher. "Good girl, but perhaps you can help me with something of my own " He offered her his arm "Let's take a walk, shall we?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"London?" the Doctor asked glancing skyward at the zeppelins whirled past overhead.

September stepped away from the Doctor and shrugged. "I think you know why. Its all tied together, isn't it Doctor? The one thing we learn is the ripple effect, one event leading to another leading to another…"

The Doctor turned on the still man. "Oh all right, I get it. I knew this was some sort of lesson masked as an offer to help. I mean, really. I never meant to come here in the first place. It was an accident. "

September again offered that same silent shrug. "We both know there are no such things as accidents. You had to come here then, just as you have to be here now. This pocket in dimensions will never be sealed until you finish what you started. You must clear up all old wounds.'

"Rose." The Doctor breathed.

September nodded his affirmation. "That is one thing, the other you will figure out before too long. " September looked at his watch and looked back at the Doctor. "You will see me when you are done. This won't take long" With that he turned and faded into the late evening crowd making their way home.

The Doctor watched him disappear with barely concealed anger. He knew where to start, where this had started for him in this body. He made his way to the Tyler home, and prayed Jackie wouldn't slap him, again.

Peter stared at the picture in his hands. His father, in his younger days, but dressed like some reject from a Jane Austen BBC adaptation; "So, this is just a coincidence, or its some sort of joke right?" he asked angrier than he realized.

Olivia and Astrid remained silent under Peter's glare.

"Well, let's not all talk at once." He huffed. Olivia was reminded of a time two years ago when she feared him finding out about where he was from. Now, this was a similar situation, and she wondered if he would again run off like an angry fifteen year old.

Olivia came around to Peter and placed her arm around his waist. "I don't know what it all means Peter, but I do know the only people that can answer this are not here. " her hand made small movements along his back in the attempts to defuse the growing bomb between his shoulders. She knew he had every right to be angry and to question what was going on.

Peter leaned into her touch and sighed. "Fine, we wait until Scooby and the gang get back, but then I want some damn answers."

Just as Olivia thought to offer a return comment with equal amounts of snark, the door to the lab opened and the metal bodies were brought into the lab.

"Well, look at that; " Peter smirked directing the workers into the back storage room . "Honey, I don't remember these being on the registry." He smiled over to Olivia who graced him with one of her brilliant 100 watt grins, and in that instance he believed everything was going to be all right. The world could shift on its axis, but Olivia was there with him.

The aliens could land and take over Boston. Olivia was here, it was cool.

He was basking in his own soul stroking until a sinking thought hit him. The men had come with the bodies, got them safely tucked away into the storage closet, high fived each other for a job well done.

But someone was missing.

Peter came out of the closet looking around expecting to see his father at a table pouring over some icky experiment.

Nope,

"Hey,' he called loudly to the two women talking on the other side of the lab. "where's Walter?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He was glad she was living so well. A girl from the Council estates, she now had everything she wanted.

But as he was ushered into the house and assaulted by both Jackie and a small blond toddler, it was clear something was amiss in the land of Rose Tyler.

"She hasn't been right since you left her here." Jackie spoke almost accusingly.

The Doctor needed to keep things in focus. "Where is she now Jackie?"

"Mum, I'm home, honestly if you are going to leave the front door open, at least let the maids know so they can put the good stuff out on the front lawn, make it easier to get robbed, yeah?" She entered the living room thumbing through a stack of mail. She did not seem to notice there was company.

"Hello Rose. "

Her face remained a stony mask as she looked at him. She opened her mouth to say something, and the Doctor figured she had assumed it was the other him, the human hi,. Realization came with Rose's face drained of all its color. She dropped the mail to the floor and through her arms around him.

"Oh my God!" she squealed like a teenager at a rock concert. "Oh its you its really you! The _proper _Doctor, my Doctor!"

Rose's words came in gasps and squeals. Had he not been fluent in over one million languages, he would not have understood her at all. Luckily, she was speaking in a dialect universal to all those languages. "Rose," he tried to disengage himself from her hold, "Rose, I need your help, we have to get this dimension sealed off for once and for all."

Rose seemed to not hear, she went on about how she had missed him, and that he was here to take her away again. "Just let me run upstairs and grab a few things, I stil have a bag packed." As she made to run upstairs the Doctor grabbed her arm.

"Rose," he spoke slowly. "Where is Handy?"

The room grew deathly silent as mother and daughter exchanged glances with each other. No one spoke; it was as if both were afraid to say anything to him. He looked from one then to the other "Well?" he asked tiring of the game.

"He isn't here, " Jackie finally confirmed. "He moved out not two weeks after he got here." Jackie walked over to her daughter and put her arm around her. "They didn't work out. I think they just wanted different things in the end."

The Doctor nodded and looked at Rose again. "I need to see him; do you know where to find him?"

Rose looked away from the Doctor's intense glare, as if hating his other self was akin to hating him. "He's with _her_." She spat.

Spring was a beautiful time on the Harvard campus. Martha and Walter stood on the little bridge that stood over the rowing pond and watched the young men practice the age old collegiate sport. He had not begun to talk, but Martha could see confession in his eyes.

"I can spume you travel with me, " he spoke out of nowhere.

Martha nodded

"I wanted to be here it was my choice to use the Chameleon Arch." He offered. "Some hiow I believe you are familiar with the instrument?"

Again Martha nodded, "But I don't understand how you can remember so much if you used that thing."

Walter turned to the young woman and smiled. "You should not say too much my dear, I have an interesting timeline, don't want to give too much away." He turned again to look out at the rowers. "But, to answer your question, I didn't not until I smelled you the other day. The Arch has different settings, something I think you are not aware of."

Again, Martha nodded, though this time it was to not disrupt the Doctor's admissions.

Walter sighed heavily before going on. "I came here for a friend, do you believe that? I came here because she needed me, and so I gave up my life for her. Selfish of me really, I knew the time with her was a small blip on the radar. My human self could love her, then when the time was right, all I had to do was open the watch and be me again. " He sneered at himself. "I gave up nothing, I merely put it al on hold. "

Martha n=knew the tone of voice the older man spoke in. She had heard her Doctor speak like this in his most self loathing of times. Usually centered around Rose, But, she had also heard it in his voice in reference to John Smith.

"I suppose the alarm went off then. " Walter finally admitted. "Knew if I set it one of us would come along. Though, it's pretty dangerous having us cross timelines like this."

"Dr. Bi—Doctor, I don't think it's too bad, "she corrected herself. She felt safe to be able to call him Doctor now.

He smiled down at her. "Now," he said rubbing his hands together. "This Cyberman problem can be best fixed with two heads." He looked around and straightened his shoulders. "I need to go and get my watch, care to escort an old man home Dr. Jones?" he asked offering her his arm yet again. "My son seems to think I need constant adult supervision." He winked at the young woman.

"Well, Doctor,' she smiled back taking his arm, "I'll let you know when we find some."

It was a modest two story row house. The front even had a little yard sporting flower pots and boxes. The Doctor was struck by the domesticity of the entire thing. "He lives here?" he asked again. To be sure.

Rose nodded. "yeh, they have been here for over a year now, ever since-"

The front door opened to reveal a dark skinned woman dressed in jeans and a t-shirt with a giant Pi sign emblazed on the front. Martha Jones leaned out of the door frame to retrieve the mail from the box on the side of the door. She caught sight of Rose first and the Doctor noted a distinct look upon her face, the same look his Martha got every time she saw Joan Redfern in 1913.

A mother lion could have taken notes.

Rose nodded at Martha and made a gesture to the Doctor.

Upon seeing the Doctor, Martha's expression became almost comical in its surprise, and then there was a glimmer of anger as she ducked back into the house. "Jamie!" she called loudly "You need to come out here."

"It would be a lot easier to get her to go to sleep if you weren't yelling like a Banshee." Martha's husband admonished as he came to the door. In his arms was an infant. Upon seeing the two people on his front steps, Jamie Noble handed his infant daughter to Martha and motioned for her to go inside.

"Rose, I thought we agreed that you would call before you came over?" he asked, and the Doctor made a mental note to find out the whole story, though he could probably guess without too much difficulty.

"The Doctor said he needed to see you, I figured it would be all right…." She trailed off and looked toward the Doctor.

Jamie Noble looked at his other and nodded. "Doctor," he offered finally

The Doctor eyed his twin closely. Jamie Noble, as he had taken for himself, was the quintessential family man. He wore a beard and mustache and clothes that bespoke of a quiet weekend at home. Jamie Noble wore glasses and a tired, but happy demeanor.

"May we come in? I think you and I need to talk." He gave a small nod to the blond at his side, in hopes that Jamie still retained enough of his brains and intuition to know what the look meant.

Apparently he did, for Jamie nodded and ushered both of them into the house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were waiting for the pair when they came to the Victorian house on Professor's Row in Cambridge. Walter knew that Peter would know exactly where to find him, and would simply wait it out.

Martha still clung to his arm; they had spent the hour walk in quiet conversation. The Doctor explaining the mechanics of the Chameleon Arch, and Martha nodding at all the right places. He had explained to her the reason he retained do much of his memories, though fundamentally buried. Walter explained that he did not want to hide from anyone but himself, so he had to provide a back yup or two for waking up.

"Once I open that watch.' He explained to her, "I will go back to that body, and that mindset. I will not want to stay here. " he sighed and looked up. "But I won't want to leave here either."

Martha patted his arm and nodded in understanding. She wanted so desperately to tell him of her experiences with the machine and her doctor, but spoilers are too tempting and paradoxes too deadly for reality.

Peter came onto the wraparound porch when he saw the two approaching from the window. "Took the long way home did you?" he asked bitterly. "What, are you two pinned now?" he nodded toward their close demeanor.

Walter ignored his son's ire and climbed the stairs. "Peter,' he began slapping his son on the back. "the two of us need to talk." He grinned broadly.

Peter, still irritated, fired a glare at his father. "Oh yeh, I would say we need to talk. We definitely ned to talk. Im fact, I think talking, is a really good idea." He turned to Martha Jones standing next to his father on the porch. "Ms. Jones however—"

"Stays!' Walter insisted while grinning that manic grin Martha knew all too well. Walter again tucked her hand into his arm and led her into the house. Olivia sat on the sofa watching the proceedings and Martha was reminded of the night she came home late from a dance.

Walter moved to the area he had absconded for himself and brought out the pocket watch. Turning to Peter he smiled. "Very recently, you asked me about this watch."

Peter nodded more to encourage Walter to proceed than in agreement.

Walter brought the watch to his eyes and stared at it intently. "Peter, I am going to open this watch, but before I do, I need to explain some things to you."

Peter returned his father's words with a severe glare.

Martha made her way to the sofa to sit beside Olivia. The blond woman smiled at her before f=turning back to the two men in the living room.

"I suppose that you know all about UNIT now" It was a statement, there was no question involved.

Peter watched his father as he continued to clutch at the pocket watch.

"I really just wanted to come and have a rest. A vacation if you will. " Walter's face was a wash with weariness. Martha knew the Doctor knew nothing of the coming time War for his timeline, but she could not help but wonder if things on his home world had already begun to roil, that perhaps the brewing tension is what really sent him to become Walter Bishop. "I wanted to se what all the fuss was about. Here."

"Walter," Peter spoke slowly, arms crossed, with a slightly worried smile plastered to his expression. "You're starting to scare me a little. What's going on?"

Walter patted his son on the back and went on. "You were the best thing to come of all this. " his smile soon turned to a look of absolute horror. He crossed to the sofa and leaned into Olivia. "I am so sorry for what I have done to you and to the others. "

Olivia, not sure how to take the sudden remorse of Walter, felt tears coming sudden to her face.

"We thought. No I will take responsibility for all of this. After all, of the two of us I should have known better. I was the older one between Belly and I after all."

Peter watched his father rub tears from his face, "Walter, what is all of this about?"

Walter turned quickly, he grabbed his son by the shoulders and spoke emphatically. "This is about setting things to rights. This is all about what must be set to tights. "

Peter could not remember a time when his father made so much sense, it scared the fuck out of him, in a way that he could not place a finger to. "Walter?" he asked, finally finding his voice.  
Why does this feel like good bye?" 

Rose and Martha sat in the comfortably cluttered kitchen. Neither speaking. Martha held her one month old daughter in her lap and tried to look as if the whole situation bothered her in the least. \

Rose at least, had the decency to look both uncomfortable and sufficiently guilty. She had known that much of the separation from Jamie had been her fault, but also there was the always present wonder that he had come there already pining for Martha Jones

If that was true, than she had to also come to grips with the idea that it was initially the Doctor's feelings, that he had in fact moved on once she had come to this reality the first time. It was that fear that lead her to do what she had done this time.

Yes, she had built the cannon, yes she wanted to be with the man she loved, how was that a crime?

But no, she comes all that way to see him and through all that trouble, and what does she get?

_You should not have done that, Rose_

_You've upset the natural order Rose_

_You are destroying both universes. Rose_

He would not let her stay. He sent her off with a pale copy of himself. After the doctor left them there on Bad Wolf Bay, Rose spent five minutes waiting to see when tHandy would pull a TARDIs out of his pocket.

He didn't

It wasn't until it was too late that Rose realized what had really happened. The Dovtor had her exiled. Oh it was a nice cushy prison, but a punishment none the less.

Jamie was not the Doctor, and he had absolutely no intentions of being the Doctor. What Jamie wanted was a nice quiet lifel no running no danger, no excitement.

Well, Rose huffed to herself as she scanned the tastefully decorated home, repleat with baby paraphernalia; he certainly has that in spades now doesn't he?

When Rose saw The Doctor that evening, sitting in her living room, she just knew, just KNEW her sentence was over. He had missed her so much and had come for her.

But Rose hedged her bets. Like a man on death row with a sharpened spoon, Rose had found people to help her tunnel her way to freedom.

She sat not making small talk with the Martha Jones from this side. Yes, she had sent Jamie off.

In the room off of the living room, the one that Jamie had claimed for his office, the Doctor wandered around trying to get to know the man he had come to see.

Jamie sat of the futon couch in the corner while the Docotor made his usual manic pacing.

"So, " the Doctor mused fiddling with Jamie's antique typewriter. "Martha Jones?" he gave a little sidelong glance at his doppelganger.

Jamie folded his arms "Come to give your opinion on my life?" he asked, not defensively, for Jamie felt he had nothing to be defensive of.

The Doctor sniffed before crashing into the swivel chair behind the desk. "No, no, just…" he did a test swivel in the leather chair. "Domesticity."

"Jealous Doctor?"

The Doctor sniffed again, twirled the chair again and changed the subject. "So, how's you make that happen, throw yourself off of a building during her scheduled shift at the A and E?"

Jamie rose and walked to the door. "Not going to have a pissing contest with you Doctor. If you are so bothered by my relationship with Martha, why don't you do something about how you treated your own." Jamie turned to leave.

The Doctor stood and began to speak in his rapid fire manner. "The membrane, between the realities is starting to break down, again. I came here to seal it off for once and for all. I have to or both will break down."

Jamie shut the door and made his way back to his seat. "How?"

The Doctor angled his neck for effect "I don't know, but I can guess." He asserted.

"Rose." Jamie sighed mindlessly mimicking the Doctor's neck roll.

The Doctor nodded. "I didn't want to believe it but Occam's razor being what it is…"

Jamie nodded, "we;;, I am not surprised. Since you left us here it has been…difficult to deal with her. Honestly, did you think we would run off into the sunset and be perfectly haapy together? She is a child. A little girl who now has an arsenal of money and power to get what she wants. What did you think would happen?" Jamie's words came hot and angry.

The Doctor said nothing, he steepled his hands together and allowed Jamie to rant.

"You know, she honestly thought I could build a TARDIS for us to travel around. She wanted me to pick yo where you left off. " he fumed. "You left her here with a shadow of yourself and you are surprised that she has repeatedly ripped apart reality to get to you?"

Jamie was pacing now, angry and scared for his family. "I have a daughter now, what happened if your psychotic ex finally manages to rip reality asunder?"

"That is why I am here Jamie; I have to close it for once and for all. It ends tonight. "

Jamie gave a mirthless laugh. "I've heard that before. What, have you got another clone someh=where for here? This one had better have a damn ship, or she will try again. "

It became quiet in the room. The Doctor tried to change the mood. "How did you meet Martha? What's the story there?" he asked with sincere curiosity.

Upon thinking of his wife, the bearded man gave a =n easy smile. "I wanted to meet her, I remember how I –you felt about Martha." He smiled into thin air. "Pete helped me get an identity. I had all these brains and no proof. So I became a doctor. "

The Doctor gave a laugh at this, so hard he nearly tumbled from the leather chair. "Oh, that is _good_!" he tittered. "Because here you get to be called Doctor, and Rose, she was so upset that you weren't a _real_ doctor or _the real Doctor_." Jamie joined in the laugh, the two of them wiped honest tears of mirth from their matching faces. "What kind of doctor are you?" The Doctor asked during a moment of sobriety.

The question was a real one, but sent both men into a fit of laughter again. Finally, Jamie could answer. "I'm a neurologist."

He delivered the news with such ferocious earnestness, that the Doctor understood why, knew what had sent Jamie to the field. "Is she here?" he asked in a small voice.

Jamie nodded emphatically, "She's my office manager.": he beamed. "She thinks its funny we have the same last name. Well her maiden name anyway."

The Doctor nodded, happy that Jamie had fit so well here, even as Rose had continued to feel out of place. "What's the baby's name?" he asked.

"Winnie, it's short for-"

"Winifred, " the Doctor affirmed.

The two fell silent again, and the two men found themselves feeling close to each other. "You are happy here then right?" he asked Jamie, not really sure why it's so important to him.

It was Jamie's turn to nod silently. He raised his eyes to the Doctor and spoke. "I need you to make sure that the barrier stays closed. I can't lose them." He pled.

The Doctor understood. "I need your help then Jamie. I need to find out what has been done."

Jamie stood up, walked over to the file cabinet in the corner of the room, and withdrew a thick folder. Unceremoniously, he dropped it on the desk in front of the Doctor. "Well then," he grinned. "Looks like you came to the right place."

Walter had begun to tear, it was only single tracks at first, but as time went on, and his story began to unfurl, Martha could see the Doctor's face become drenched.

"I met Belly quite by accident," he had begun, telling of finding a kindred spirit in a man who had seemed to love life so much. I had prior knowledge of Belly's greatness you see, I had come to make sure he did his part to prevent a paradox."

"Walter, what the hell are you talking about, a paradox? What is that some sort of technical term fro something you two cooked up?"

Walter smiled at his son; he could always count on him to try to keep things light. But nothing could deter him from this one thing. "Son, I am sorry to tell you that I am not who you think I am "

Peter glanced toward Olivia, who came to him and put her arms around his waist There was something in his father's tone that brokered no argument against his sanity. He inhaled sharply and waited for his father to finish.

Walter moved to the shelves beside his bed. Emerging from his hunched over stature with an old photo album in his hands Walter came to sit in the chair he had always favored. Everyone in the room found a seat and allowed the older man to finish his thoughts.. "Do you remember Peter? When we would go to the lake house in the summers, the old wardrobe there? I always said it was an old family heirloom, but the lock was busted and…" he made a motion with his hand by way of explaination.

Peter nodded and grinned. "The one in the old guest room? How could I forget that thing, it was a behemoth, and Mom never could convince you to get rid of that thing." He turned to the blond an=t his side. "This thing was huge, but it was funny because; " Peter's face scrunched in thought as he forced himself to think about the object. " you had to _think_ about it to notice it." He looked to the man in the chair across from him. "It was blue, right?"

Walter nodded and turned the photo album for Peter to see. Martha leaned her head in to get a look and her gasp was audible. "It's your TARDIS!"

Walter nodded and smiled at the woman. "Yes it is, I hid it in plain sight, even from myself. "

Peter shook his head. "I still don't get it." He offered trying to not be angry that a complete stranger seemed to know more about his father than he did.

Walter smiled and tapped the photo of the big blue police box. "This," he grinned at his son. "Is my ship."

As soon as she heard him coming into the kitchen she stood up. He entered behind Jamie h=who made a beeline for his wife and daughter. Rose searched the Doctor's face for emotions, she used to be able to read him so well. But now, all she saw were stranger's eyes. They no longer danced behind the brown oldness. "Did you get what you needed?" she asked gathering her coat and purse.

He offered her a curt nod and spoke to the little family on the other side of the room. "Thank you,' he said to both of them.

Martha offered him a thin but honest smile; she rose from her seat and handed Winnie to her husband. The small woman slid thin arms around his thinner frame. "Take better care of yourself Doctor," she smiled.

"He returned her earnest smile and promised he would. The entire room noted Rose's demeanor change at the physical contact. She did try to hide it, but found little desire to do so.

Once Martha had released him, he turned to Jamie. "Glad to see that things have worked out for you here." He smiled, gently touching the infant's face. "She is beautiful.' He smiled.

Jamie smiled back and led the Doctor and Rose to the front door. As they made their way down the stairs, Jamie called out to the Doctor. "Doctor,"

The Doctor turned to his doppelganger, squinting in the rays of the fading spring sun. "Yeah?" he asked.

"Don't throw yourself off of any buildings during her shift, yeah?" he smiled at the Doctor. "Meet her halfway." With that he closed the door and was gone.

"What'd he mean by that?" Rose asked trying to tuck her hand into the Doctor's and failing miserably.

"Nothing,' he answered coldly. Shaking her hand from his with a finality that killed any other attempts Rose thought to make.

"You're different" she huffed, stopping in the middle of the quiet suburban lane.

"And you disappoint me Rose." He fired. "All this time, I thought I only took the best. You Rose, have made a liar out of me."

Rose took an involuntary step back, not realizing that it was out of fear. "I don't know what you mean.." she stammered.

The Doctor took a deep breath and forced himself to remember how much he once loved this girl. How she had brought him back from the brink of madness after being lost for so long after the War. "Rose, " he began pulling from his pocket the file Jamie had given him. "I know about your father buying Cybus industries for you. I know about your dealings with a company called Massive Dynamic." He fired at her a look usually reserved for Daleks, Sontarans, and anyone doing anything remotely stupid and dangerous to others. "I Know About Everything. "

Once the term, 'alien' and time machine' were thrown about, it was not to hard to convince Peter to take a ride out to Reiden Lake, he had sworn never to return here, not after what he had learned about his past, and what he had begun to remember.

Walter sat in the back of the Vista Cruiser with Martha at his side. Peter tried not to grin when he wondered how Astrid would not appreciate her spot being filled. It was easy to see how the young woman felt about Walter, and Peter was not averse to admitting that Astrid was good for him, kept him out of trouble, and knew how to deal with him.

Glancing into the backseat, he saw Walter holding Martha's hand and murmuring something into her ear.

Nope, Astrid would not be pleased.

By the time they made it to the Lake, Walter was nearly giddy with excitement. He bounded from the car like a five year old at an amusement park, dragging his new friend behind him.

"Should we let him do that?" Olivia asked, not completely convinced of Walter's story.

:"He says he has the proof. "Peter shrugged, uncharacteristically not challenging one of his father's flights of fancy.

By the time Peter made it to the door, Walter and Martha were already in the guest room. The blue wardrobe stood ominous in the corner. "Peter, it's here!" Walter gushed wmaking circles around the box while Martha stood a=back at a reverent distance.

Peter and Olivia stood in front of the TARDIS, not sure how to proceed, "So, Walter, this is your what? Spaceship?"

"Oh its so much more than that Peter!" he grinned. "It's that and a thousand things more. " he reached out and touched her with a shaking hand. "Oh I have missed you…" he breathed to her.

Martha smiled as she watched The Doctor with his ship. They really were the same person. He guided his hands along her angles like a father examining his newborn. "She is a beautiful ship." Mat=rtha did not even realize she had spoken out loud until the Doctor smiled at her and winked.

Walter turned to his son. "I have to open the watch now son." He spoke slowly and more steadily than either Olivia or Peter had ever remembered. "And as I have warned you, I will be different, ' Walter fished the watch with the odd scrolling out of his pocket. "See, I will only be able to remember whre I put my key if I am.."

Peter nodded, and Martha refrained from telling him that not only is there a spare in the phone door, but her Doctor can open the damn thing by snapping his fingers.

Spoilers.

"I have enjoyed being human. " he smiled. Not noticing the slight cringe from Martha Jones. "It was your mother Peter. When Belly introduced me to her I fell madly in love with her. " he sighed remembering Elizabeth. "She was so smart and funny, but there was a sadness; I thought I could fix it, thought I could fix her." He shook his head and looked down at his watch again. "I gave up all of tiem and space for her.'

Not to be outdone, Peter still remained vigilant in his skepticism. "I'm still not convinced of all of this Walter. Don't think I have not considered calling your doctor in on this one.!'

"Oh Peter, once I open that door." He pointed to the TARDIS. "I hope you will be able to forgive yourself for ever doubting me."

"Did she know?" Peter asked, gesturing toward the wooden box.

"Oh, no, I would never have told her. I couldn't because by the time you came along this was just an old wardrobe passed down from my family." He smiled. "The perception filter pretty much let us all see what we wanted to see."

Walter looked at his son one last time through purely human eyes. "Its time Peter, there are things to do now. " he smiled at the younger man.

Martha nodded her silent support as Walter opened the pocket watch.

The Doctor grabbed the blond woman by her arm and dragged her into an alley down the street from the Nobles.

Rose was both scared and indignant about the accusations he hurled at her. How dare he?

"Rose, I have the evidence right here, you have been at it again, after I specifically warned you against building a cannon or anything to punch holes in reality. Do you realize what you have done?" Je waved the file at her, anger pouring from him in deep magenta waves.

"Yes! I did it to be with you!" she replied, "You left me here, _twice_, and so what? Jamie was some sort of consolation prize. Life is not a god damned game show Doctor! I deserve better than some pale imitation of you. " Rose felt tears of anger and pain flow down her cheeks, she did not even try to wipe them away.

The Doctor continued to glare at her. "I am trying to see what I ever loved about you Rose, I don't understand any of this. " He spoke in an even tone that was far more frightening than a raised voice.

"Of course you don't understand! I loved you! You made me feel like there was no one else in the world, and then you left me, you left me here with nothing!"

Rose raised her hands to hit at the Doctor, but he easily grabbed both her hands with one of his. "Do you ever listen to yourself Rose?" he asked disgusted. But even in his anger, and ire, and disgust; even as he sat staring into her brown eyes he knew this was his fault. He should have realized that he had relied on her far too much. It was this realization that brought the anger down in him.

He grabbed her around the shoulders and held her close to him. She collapsed, finally allowed the sobs to take hold. "Rose, oh I am so, so, sorry." he began to rock her tiny frame. The irony of standing in a alley with Rose did not unnoticed.

Rose sniffled from under his arm, she continued to hold on for dear life. "I just want to be with you Doctor." She insisted.

Of course she did, how could she not? He had shown her the universe, then drooped her back to nothing. Once a shop girl from council estates, now a jilted traveler, Rose was in love, and he understood why she could not move past it.

And had n;t he done the same thing? The very thing that he was admonished her for, had he not crossed the very same line to retrieve a son that he had no business having? His son died due to incompatible DNA structure. For some reason, on this side, there lives a man named Walter Bishop who was nothing special. A regular human.

Walter Bishop from the other side was much like Rose. Their grief led them to selfish actions in order to allay their grief.

He came and stole his son right from under his nose. The Doctor figured he could understand what grief could do to someone. He understood Rose's constant ardor to get to him.

But, he could not allow her to overturn all of creation just to make herself happy. The pattern of selfish behavior had to end somewhere. The Doctor realized how much of a hypocrite he was, but he had a responsibility to existence to make sure it would not be felled by the selfish grief of one woman.

She continued her mantra; a plaintive cry over and over again behind the mask of her tears. "I just want to be with you." she pled "I just want to be with you." It was pitiful in its simplicity.

The Doctor pulled her away once she had calmed down. "Rose, you cannot stay here." The Doctor watched as elation began to roil across her features. But he shook his head at the question in her eyes.

"No Rose, I cannot take you with me either. As long as you have access to the materials to punch holes in the barriers, you will."

"Then take me with you, Doctor, please don't leave me here."

The Doctor shook his head again, "No, Rose, I have to do this. And I am so sorry." His hands cupped her face, and he brought her lips to his. As he kissed her, he brought his fingers to her temples.

Over her shoulder, he saw September standing at the far end of the alley.

Yellow light flooded the near dusk room. A torrent of voices and sounds erupted into the still room. Olivia grabbed for Peter in an attempt to protect him, while Martha stood her ground, fascinated at seeing this happen this time.

Walter Bishop's face became once again the face of the Doctor; even his hair matched its former length and shade. His features molded away at least thirty years of wear and he stood erect and tall grinning the classically manic grin of the Doctor.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his clothes and them eyed them in surprise as if looking for his Victorian attire.

Peter Bishop had to admit that there was something seriously fucked up at work here. He advanced upon this father and looked at the still familiar eyes. "Neat trick eh son?" the Doctor asked slapping Peter on the back. "Now, where did I leave that—AH!" he yelped snapping his fingers. The Doctor reached his hand to the top of the TARDIS, fumbled for the latch. The small door for the phone on the door opened to reveal at least six keys.

"Lock yourself out quite a bit?" Martha noted.

"You have no idea" the Doctor winked back. Opening the door, he turned and grinned at the three people in the room with him. "Wanna take a ride?"

In the end, he left her in the doorway of a rather nice looking Condo building. He felt guilty for taking her memories of him, but there was no other options. The files that Jamie had collected had proved she would stop at nothing to get to him again. And, he could not risk taking her with him again,, nor could he take her away from her mother. As far as Rose would remember, she had always lived here in this dimension. She would remember the Doctor as a fiction, some books she had read as a child in school/

He felt like shit for doing it.

But has she punched more holes in the barrier between the dimensions, then more of the cyberthings would come through from the void, and eventually they would figure out how to get through without the electromagnetic pulse frying their circuitry.

Or, worse yet, tone of the creatures would gall into the wrong hands. No more Lumics, thank you very much.

September nodded to him in ascension, and they made their way back to the other side.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Whatever you do," Martha whispered to Olivia and Peter, "Don't mention anything abbot size." She smiled and followed The Doctor into the TARDIS. Olivia and Peter followed behind her, holding onto each other for support.

The Doctor was already at the console madly flipping switches and twisting dials. "Its different this one. " Martha noted as she took in the library setting and enlarged console room.

"Spoilers." The Doctor admonished with a wink. He watched his son and Olivia as they made there way around the room, seemingly dumbstruck. "Well?" he asked expectantly.

Peter and Olivia both shrugged at the question, neither one able to find words. "Well what?" Peter asked folding his arms and leaning against one of the coral struts as it jutted out from floor to ceiling.

The Doctor let out an exasperated huff and through his hands in the air. "You _have_ to say it!" he insisted coming around to stand next to his son.

"Say what Walter?" Olivia asked with a sly smile and a wink at Martha.

The Doctor turned to his future companion and waggled his finger at her. You are a bad influence. " He smirked. "Time to take you home. Honestly, I don't know _how_ he keeps you in line. "

Martha smiled at the Doctor and nodded. :He never tries." She admitted.

This mad the Doctor stop his movements. "Well, " he smiled. "Nice to see I still have good sense in my next life. "

"Next life?" Olivia asked.

Peter put it together quickly. "The skinny guy? The one with the bad hair and the tight suit, Twitch? That's you too?" Peter could not believe any of this. He had considered himself a fairly open minded individual, but in the last twenty four hours, he had had to accept far too much, even for him.

Olivia placed her hand on his shoulder. "Peter,' she spoke slowly into his ear. "UNIT, the pictures."

Peter stayed still, eyes fixed upon his father, but in an instant, as if someone turned the lights on, his eyes seemed to bulge right out of his head. "Holy _shit_!"

The Doctor smiled at his son and threw the handbrake. "Right, so here we are, back where we started. " he checked the view screen before him. "Ah, and right on time."

The Doctor breezed past them and threw open the door to the TARDIS.

He had landed right next to the other one, aimed as perfect mirrors of each other.

Martha saw him first. Her Doctor made his way across the road to join the group.

"I was wondering where you had taken off to." Martha smiled at the tall man in the long coat. He smiled back at her and Martha got the feeling he was earnestly glad to see her.

Walter smiled as he took in the sight of his future self. "Well, we have an invasion to stop."

"No need," the Doctor announced as he began to open his own TARDIS "managed all by myself while you lot were laying about." He looked closely at his other self. "Although, it looks as if you have been a bit busy. Found that watch did you?" he smirked

"Had a little help from a future friend." He winked at Martha.

"Well, best be off, not good hanging about too much in each other's timelines." He motioned to Martah hwho scooted towards her Doctor. In truth, he wasn't too sure he liked the comfort level his old self was displaying toward his companion.

"Well, Martha, if you would rather travel with me for a while…' The Doctor smirked, more to get at his other self.

She smiled and walked over to the other Doctor. "I would be the luckiest girl in the world to travel with you. " she smiled up into his blue eyes. "But someone has to look after him" Martha hooked a thumb back at the skinny Doctor. "Besides, I think there is someone who would absolutely love to travel with you. All you have to do is ask." She reached up to kiss him on the cheek before running into her own version of the TARDIS.

"He is a lucky bastard," The eighth Doctor announced as he turned toward his family. "I would offer you two a spot, but I don't think that is exactly what you want is it?"

Olivia spoke up for the both of them. "We have a wedding to plan, and don't think this gets you out of attending, or a present for that matter." She smiled.

Peter placed his arm around Olivia but looked at his father. "I can't believe you are going to leave."

Walter came closer to his son. "I will always be a phone call away. : he took his phone from his coat pocket, and with a flick of his sonic, he had global coverage. "Just give me a call, same number. I will be here before you hang p the phone." He smiled.

He stuck his head out of the door one last time. "Oh and Olivia." He called to the pretty woman. "One day you'll get the idea to name the kid Walter."

Olivia blushed and dipped her head. "Yeah?" she replied.

"For Rassilon's sake, Don't'!" with that he closed the door.

Peter and Olivia watched as both ships dematerialized before their eyes.

Astrid Farnsworth nearly had a heart attack when her living room seemed to come to life.

Not quite, just the part where a blue box materialized.

She approached the offending object armed with the bottle of Windex she had been using on her tables, and a rolled up newspaper.

The man who stuck his head out the door was both a stranger and very familiar to her. "Walter?" she asked, still wielding the rolled up paper.

The Doctor eyed the newspaper with a manic grin. "have I been a bad dog Miss Farnsworth?" he asked emerging from the TARDIS. He had taken time to change into his regular clothes, he looked as dapper as he felt.

Astrid wasn't sure how to answer him, "What are you doing here, how did you get here. Why do you look different?" She rolled off the questions in rapid fire succession.

Walter smiled as he took in the diminutive woman in front of him. "I have always appreciated your curiosity Astrid." He smiled.

"You, you said my name right?" she finally dropped the newspaprer and eyed the new man with a mixture of awe and anticipation.

"Of course I said your name right. If we are going to travel together then don't you think we should be at least that comfortable with each other?" He came even closer to her, and took her hand.

"Travel together?" Astrid murmured. "In that?" she motioned to the blue box. "Where?"

The Doctor laughed. "See? You ask so many questions, I don't think you even realize how intoxicating your curiosity is to a man who has pretty much seen it all. " he rolled his head on his neck. "Well, just about." he smiled.

Astrid allowed him to draw her into his arms. "And you want me to come with you?" she asked in a small voice.

"And if I say to you tomorrow / Take my hand child come with me / Its to a castle I will take you/ Where what's to be they say will be." He sang to her as they slowly moved around her small living room.

"Always did love Led Zeppelin." She smiled in his arms.

"Want to meet them? Nice blokes, a bit hairy though. I told the, there are better ways to explore altered consciousness, but…" he trailed off.

"What should I call you? " she asked still relishing being close to him .

"Whatever you like, as long as you say yes." He smiled down into her brown eyes.

"Catch the wind, see us spin, sail away, leave today, way up high in the sky." She answered.

The Doctor laughed and spun her around on the floor "Oh Astrid what places we shall see!"

He really did only take the best.

She listened to him, as she always had. She listened as he spoke of Jamie, and the life on the other side. He knew that two years ago, he never would have shared any of it with anyone. But something had changed. Not only seeing desperation in the eyes of Rose, but realizing his own desperation at the death of a small boy 25 years ago.

"Nothing tears at you like love Doctor." Martha answered from her perch on the jump seat. "Nothing leads you to such desperations as the loss of that love. "

He nodded and rolled himself back under the console.

Martha wasn't sure how she felt about the knowledge of Jamie's choice. On one hand she realized that the Doctor would never have a life like that.

But, to be fair, wasn't Boston proof that he had had that life?

On the other hand, she could not help but feel an odd jealousy at her other self. But, fleeting as it may be, when you run with the Doctor, you live a lifetime in a few short trips.

She understood that, and she understood that it had to be enough.

"Still," he spoke from under the console as if reading her thoughts. "Jamie seemed happy. Had a wife, bnew baby. Even managed to find his best friend and give her a job. I think love isn't desperation. I think maybe, if you get it right. It can be the most wondrous thing in the universe. "

Martha sat with her mouth agape at the alien who spoke from under the console of his transdimensional ship. "you hit a gas main under there or something?" she mumbled.

The Doctor rolled himself from under the console again. He brought himself to a sitting position and looked at his companion. No, his friend. "I can see why he chose her Martha, I am not completely daft. I would Martha. If I could, I really would. " With that, he slid himself back under the console,

It was better than nothing; she shrugged before heading off to make tea.

Sometimes you took what you could get.

:


End file.
